The Final Battle
by Esmey Robyn Goodfellow
Summary: COMPLETE: Picking up from the climactic ending of The Inside Story, the Sisters Grimm fight the final battle against the Scarlet Hand and the Master.  But will they be able to stop the Master and save the world?  Spoilers from books 1-8.  Puckabrina.
1. I

The Final Battle

Sisters Grimm: Book 9

* * *

Introduction

_To Sabrina Grimm it was as if the world was slowly falling around her shoulders. She saw the one sight that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Her family, her loved ones, twitching and breathing raspily, trying to breath in one last breath. Daphne was laying on the ground, writhing in pain. She whispered out one word, "Sabrina," and her eyes closed. Her mother and father were lying helpless, they're bodies moving and twisting as if they had a mind of their own. They're movements and motions were jagged and jerked, as if someone else was controlling them. Uncle Jake was on his knees, crying and weeping bitterly. A tear dropped on the floor, it was a crimson red. Mr. Canis was rasping, his breathing becoming more and more labored. It appeared as if someone was stepping on his chest and squishing him slowly and surely. And then there was Puck. Puck's was the worst. His eyes turned a dull black, they had lost they're luster and twinkle. His face was twisted in agonizing pain. Blood dripped from his crackled lips, his nose, his ears, his eyes, and underneath his fingertips._

_And then there was an explosion. It shook the ground and rattled her skull. She gulped and turned around. There was a figure standing far behind her. He was hard to make out but she immediately knew who it was._

_"Stop," the one word had a lasting impact. It broke the silence which had been occupied only by the agonized screams of her family. Her voice was dry, all saliva had been drained, her eyes were bloodshot and she wanted to go to sleep dearly, her nose held dried up blood from her recent injury but she realized she was completely numb. All the mattered was her family._

_"Make it stop," she said again, this time louder. Her courage was rebuilding itself inside of her and she leapt from the spot where she was standing. She wouldn't take it. Suddenly a hatred so deep bubbled and churned inside of her and she stamped her foot on the ground and leapt at the figure. "Stop it!"_

_"Oh, but we wouldn't want to do that, not yet," the figure said venomously._

_Sabrina took one look at the figure in front of her. The figure, oh so familiar. She remembered the first time she laid her eyes on the figure. So full of aw and admiration, yet she was always cautious. But then the figures eyes flashed, a hatred-filled gaze penetrated Sabrina's one calm recollection of the figure before and she remembered that everything had changed._

_But it was to late. The figure's fingers crackled with energy and a ball of blue energy shot at Sabrina and hit her squarely in the chest. She was thrown backwards and she hit the wall with a hard 'thud'. She closed her eyes, pain rocketed from her head down to her toes._

_"Goodbye, liebling."_

_

* * *

_

1

Five Days Ago

"Mom! No!" Henry shouted as he wrestled with a reviser.

Granny Relda turned and looked to her family. "He'll get out, Henry. We know he will. And he'll take some poor child or another Everafter who's already ripe with power. If he must possess someone, it should be a person nearing their final days; someone old, and tired, with creaky joints and arthritis, and no magical ability. If he's going to take over the world, then the world should only have to suffer for so long."

"Granny!" Sabrina cried.

"I love you, _liebling_," Granny said, blowing kisses. "Take care of Puck-he's one of mine too."

She turned to the ghostly spirit attacking Daphne and buried her fingers into the blackness. "Let her go, Mirror!" Granny cried.

The creature resisted but she would not let go. Eventually, it surrendered and entered the old woman. Granny's face lost its rosy color. Her bright green eyes flashed white hot, and her sweet soft smile disappeared. It was replaced with an angry scowl.

"You have ruined everything!" Mirror's voice bellowed out of the old woman. "Look at this body!"

"Vile creature," Prince Charming said. he waved his sword threateningly at Granny Relda. "Release your hold on that woman."

Mirror raised the old woman's wrinkled hand and sparks cracked from the tips of her fingers. "You ridiculous oaf. Do you think I would stay in this body if I had a choice?" Electricity charged out of Granny's hands and encircled the Prince's sword. It yanked the weapon out of Charming's grasp and Granny took it. "My opportunity-stolen! So I will bring this world down around your ears."

Granny thrust the sword in Charming's gut. The Prince was stunned. Then he fell over and moved no more.

No sooner had he fallen that the world shook so violently that Sabrina was knocked backward to the ground. Her head slammed against the soil and her sneakers were blasted off her feet. Before she could stand and retrieve her shoes there was as second explosion. This one was louder, and the blast of wind that accompanied it was so hot it scorched her face, neck, and hands. But the third explosion was the one that frightened her. It split columns in two and churned the ground like a pot of boiling water. Fissures formed, allowing skin-searing steam to escape from deep below. Along with it came an unearthly concoction of lights and sounds and colors. It wasn't a mist or a fog-it was alive, made from something old and angry. It spun into a whirlwind and surrounded the children.

"Everything must go." the Wicked Queen shouted. "Atticus is coming!"

"Sabrina, this is not good!" Daphne shouted over the din. It was clear the little girl knew what was happening as well. "We have to stop it."

"Be my guest!" she cried. "If you haven't noticed, I don't have any magical powers. I'm not an Everafter. I'm just a girl from New York City."

And then there was a fourth and final explosion. A strange, red-haired man appeared over her. He wore a black tunic, heavy boots, and a long scabbard. In one hand he had what Sabrina would later find out was called a flair-a handle connected to a chain connected to a heavy steel ball. He looked at her and smiled, but it was not friendly. It was like a hungry tiger looking at his wounded prey. Then he glanced over at Prince Charming's lifeless body and laughed.

"William, I'm disappointed," Atticus said. "I wanted to kill you myself."

In the confusion, Sabrina watched Granny Relda (i.e. Mirror) rush to the door that had materialized. She turned and looked back at the family. For a moment, her familiar eyes locked onto Sabrina, but then the old woman shook her head as if dizzy and her smile turned to a sneer. She darted through the doorway and disappeared.

Granny Relda took no time to take in her surroundings. She had been plunged deep into the dark woods that surrounded Ferryport Landing. Granny Relda sprinted in between the tall gnarled trees with remarkable speed and agility. She leapt over stray brush, ran across tall, wiry grass, and quickly made her way to the edge of the forest.

She quickly scanned the horizon and soon realized where she was in Ferryport Landing. She then began to run through the streets and soon came upon the Town Hall where the Everafters, bearing the mark of the Scarlet Hand, milled around.

Granny Relda straightened her appearance and she hurried up the stairs to the door of the Town Hall. She opened it with shocking strength and strode purposefully through the lobby. A desk that looked like it hadn't been used in years was occupied by a huge, muscular troll who was shuffling through yellowing pages. A thick layer of dust coated the entire surface of the desk and made the troll sneeze with a slight 'achew!'. Besides the desk, there were a few fold-out chairs and a cheap coffee-table set out by a huge bookshelf with fairytales that featured every Everafter in the Scarlet Hand. Other Everafters milled about in the lobby as well, looking at Granny Relda curiously and suspiciously as she stalked up to the dusty desk and sneezing troll.

"Where is Heart and Nottingham?" Granny Relda demanded in a deep, masculine voice.

"Um. . ." the troll said, his voice wavering and his expression showed he was completely and utterly befuddled.

"Right here, Relda," the Queen of Hearts said. Nottingham stood by her side, his hand at his serpentine dagger waiting for the moment when Granny Relda would realize that she wasn't going to be going home. He smirked. But "Granny Relda" didn't 'gasp', nor did she look surprised or even the remotely worried. She just looked coldly at Heart and Nottingham with an icy stare.

"Heart. . .it's me, Mirror," she said smoothy, in a deep voice. Heart looked taken aback, as did Nottingham. Then, Heart recomposed her face, closed her mouth (which had opened in shock) and sneered.

"Good one, Relda. But we're not falling for it. I never knew you were so good at impersonating voices. Impressive," the Queen of Hearts said

"It is me, Heart. Now don't be an idiot. Relda would never pull this off without her annoying, whining family. Now where can we talk. . .privately."

"Oh, dear God. What happened to your plan? Did it fail? You look so like Granny Relda? Did you make it inside of the book? Did you switch bodies with Relda? Where are the Grimms now? Is the camp destroyed? What happened?" Heart asked, her mouth asking questions a mile-a-minute.

"My plan failed. I'll explain later. Now, where can we talk privately?"

"The study is quiet and private, Master."

"Take me there, I would also like a cup of hot tea, Nottingham, fetch it for me."

"Yes, Master," Nottingham replied before rushing off into an adjacent hallway. The Queen of Hearts took the Master down another hallway, turned right into the first doorway and opened into a room with a fancy, mahogany desk, sheets of parchment, a quill and ink, a telephone, and a matching chair. It would seem a completely harmless, and ordinary office or study if not for the huge axe that hung above the desk. There were two leather chairs next to a fireplace with a roaring fire set inside. Granny Relda (or Mirror) took a seat in one and beckoned Heart to take a seat in the other. It was obvious that Heart wanted to press on about what happened and why Mirror was sitting in Granny Relda's body but Granny Relda put a finger to her lips to signify silence and Heart, grudgingly, shut her mouth. Granny Relda then closed her eyes and let her muscles relax.

They sat this way for about five minutes when Granny Relda finally spoke in a clear voice, cutting through the silence like a razor-blade. "It happened like this. I had gone into the book like planned, taking the child with me. All had gone accordingly, I went to the genie and made my wish and found myself in Snow White's story. I went to the Wicked Queen's castle but, alas, in no more than five minutes, the Grimms had shown up. They made a bargain with that dried up Editor, something I thought was impossible for he is a rather grouchy old thing and quite annoying, popping in and out of stories with his Erasers. They tried to stop me, but the Wicked Queen did my bidding and I was free in the boy's body. But the Grimm's would hear none of it and they took me out of his body. I fought to go into that Daphne's body, she is young enough and spry enough to give a long life but no, Relda got her claws in me and I was forced into her dried up shell. I made a distraction with that Atticus fellow, and a door popped up. I went out and here I am."

During Mirror/Granny Relda's explanation Nottingham had slipped into the room, carrying a tray with three cups of piping tea, steam rising from each cup, and falling gently onto the tray in glistening water drops. After Mirror recapped his adventures, Granny Relda's chest rising in falling as his voice grew in volume, Nottingham gave Granny Relda a cup of tea and she sipped at the hot liquid before closing her eyes and relaxing a moment.

The Queen of Hearts took a deep breath and began to sip at her tea as well. Nottingham eyed the piping liquid in a glare that looked as if he was curious about the drink, and detested it at the same time.

The trio remained this way for quite some time, the only sound being Granny Relda's rasping breath, the sipping of tea, and the crackling of the fire. Granny Relda had remained very still, as if she was a statue, and, if not for the rising and falling of her chest, she may have well been one. Granny Relda was wearing a purple dress and a matching hat with sunflower applique on it. The quaint outfit was eerily out of place, Heart noted, in the headquarters of the evil group.

"We must gather our troops and attack the Grimm's camp at the end of the week," Mirror finally stated, taking another sip of his tea.

"But, Master, that gives us only a few days to ready our troops. We must have at least a fortnight to prepare."

"No, it must be a week. The Grimm's are at their weakest point right now. They barely have any weapons and no soldiers. It must be at the end of this week. Nottingham, go ready the troops. Heart, appeal to the other Everafters. Perhaps we can use a few of them yet."

"Yes, Master," the duo nodded and exited the room.

Granny Relda smirked and looked into the fire, an evil gleam in her eye.

* * *

"I don't see why we had to go to her house in the middle of the night. I mean, who are we kidding. The hag is completely creepy!" Puck complained.

"You're just a scaredy-cat! Grow up and get a spine!" Sabrina spat. She rubbed her eyes with her calloused hands. Her eyes were bloodshot because she hadn't slept in a few days. The memories of the recent events came flooding back to her in detail but she ground her teeth together and stuck out her lip. She wasn't going to cry.

In fact, Sabrina noticed, the entire Grimm family seemed to be in a melancholy mood, Uncle Jake had big black circles under his eyes, her mother and father were clinging to each other and they're newly recovered son for dear life, Mr. Canis was looking more gaunt then ever, his face grave, for once Daphne wasn't twittering and chatting about whatever entered her head, her face was still and it appeared as if she was in deep thought, and then there was Puck. Puck's eyes were bloodshot, too. He'd stayed up to "Protect the Grimm family" with Sabrina and as he walked through the thorny trees it was apparent that he could fall asleep at any moment. Sabrina looked at Puck and gave a small smile. Puck looked back at her and, though it could have possibly been her imagination, he gave a smile to. The engage was noticed by Daphne, who bit her palm, a quirky habit the girl had when she was happy or excited.

The path slowly changed from long tall grasses and muddy dirt to what appeared to be stones. Sabrina and Daphne carefully avoided the stones for they were actually skulls planted by Baba Yaga, a century old witch. Puck, on the other hand picked up every skull he set eyes on, teasing and heckling Sabrina and Daphne.

"Get away from me, Puck!" Daphne shrieked in fear.

"Hey, little girl, I vant to suck your blood!" Puck said with a thick accent, holding a skull as if he was a ghostly puppet.

"That's what vampires say not skulls, you idiot!" Sabrina noted. Puck growled at her and mumbled a few incoherent words but shut his mouth as the group came to a halt about ten yards from a run-down cottage with a bleached picket fence. Everyone took a deep breath and slowly filed into the gate (which Daphne and Sabrina made sure to not touch, seeing as the fence was made of bones). The group gathered around her front door.

"Okay, Uncle Jake, you can knock on the door," Daphne said.

"I can't knock on the door, Baba Yaga would put be in a cauldron of bubbling water and eat me for breakfast. Hank, why don't you do it," Uncle Jake stated.

"I've never exactly seen eye-to-eye with Baba Yaga, Veronica?"

"Nuh-uh, I'm not being eaten for breakfast," Veronica, Sabrina and Daphne's mother, said, "Puck, you're immortal. Why don't you take the ball on this one."

"As much as I love Baba Yaga this seems more like a Daphne-thing," Puck said.

"You babies! I'll knock on the door! What's the worst that can happen!" Sabrina said impatiently. She grabbed the knocker (which looked like a claw holding a piece of parchment made out of a molded metal) and knocked on the door a few times.

"See!" Sabrina said, "Nothing happe-AHH!" The group screamed in surprise and fear as the floor beneath them gave way and they fell a distance of about thirty yards into a dark, musty room. It was dark and it took a few minutes for their eyes to get adjusted. Sabrina was the first one to get up and, after quickly checking Daphne and Puck for broken bones, she took in their surroundings. It appeared as if they were in a giant birdcage, thick iron bars surrounded her family and suddenly a realization dawned on her that caused her mouth to open slightly in fear and anger. They were locked in a cell. In a basement. Underneath Baba Yaga's house.

For the Grimm family, things just went from bad to worse.

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, this is my idea for the last Sisters Grimm book (yeah, I know it's sad). CONSTRUCTIVE criticisms are welcome, but please refrain from flaming. My ego is fragile enough as it is, actually that's a complete lie and I couldn't give a crap about what you think, unless it's constructive criticism or compliments. Anyway, there will be eventual Puckabrina, but this isn't just about Puck and Sabrina (though I wish it were). Anyway, please Review!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, I swear. Pinky promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!**_

_**Cheers,**_

_**ManMenDude!**_


	2. II

2

"Everyone okay?" Sabrina asked, helping Daphne to her feet.

A muffled '_okay_' was the reply as everyone got to their feet slowly.

"Where are we?" Veronica asked, standing up.

"Well, um, it appears as if we're in a cell," Sabrina said, trying to sound nonchalant and casual.

"What!" Uncle Jake and Daphne cried at the same time.

Mr. Canis grunted, but remained silent, eyeing the bars as if they reminded him of something deadly and dangerous in the past.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Hank, Sabrina and Daphne's father, said in a scolding tone.

"Is there anyway out?" Veronica cried.

"Grimm, you are as stupid as you are ugly," Puck said.

Sabrina glared at him and for good measure punched him on the arm. She then turned her attention to the iron bars that caged them in. She tried shaking them in hopes that they would bend, she tried kicking them in hopes that they would fall, but whatever she did they wouldn't bend. She felt the tingle of magic race through her fingertips and hands, and eventually to her arms, like an electric shock as she touched the bars.

"It's no use, we're locked in here," Sabrina said, huffing.

"Well, Baba Yaga will have to come down here, eventually," Veronica said in a hopeful tone.

"It smells like she's never been down here. Who knows whether she'll come down ever!" Uncle Jake cut in. Veronica glared at him.

Sabrina sat down and the rest of her family joined her on the musty old floor. She closed her eyes and leaned back into the bars and within a few moments, she was sound asleep and dreaming.

* * *

_She looked around. She couldn't remember where she was. She couldn't see Puck, or Daphne, or Uncle Jake, or her mother and father. She called out but the only sound she heard was her voice, echoing back to her._

_She took a step forward and heard the crunching of leaves under her feet. She looked around once more and saw dead leaves on dead branches. She was in a clearing. Suddenly, a flash of blue electricity shocked all around her and hit a trunk of a huge, oak tree. It sizzled a moment, and fell to ashes. She jumped backwards in fright and looked around, hoping to see who or what had disintegrated the tree. A figure moved, concealed only by the branches. She gulped and prepared herself to fight the figure. She let a warrior cry escape her lips and she punched what she thought to be the figure but instead was a thick tree trunk. She cried out in pain, her hand throbbed and she realized it was broken. But she lunged again for the figure, missing again._

_She was about to lunge once more when the figure stepped into the clearing and the moonlight lit up her face. She stepped backwards in shock._

_"Granny?"_

_"Why, hello, Starfish!" the voice of Mirror bellowed from her grandmother's body and she cringed._

_

* * *

_

Sabrina woke up with a shock and she looked around. The memories of they're whereabouts flooded back. She looked around and saw that everyone was sound asleep. Uncle Jake, Daphne, and Hank were snoring peacefully. Puck was snoring like a buzz-saw. She realized she was leaning on someone. She sat up and saw that the person was Puck. She blushed and she sank back into her original position, leaning her head on Puck's shoulder. Subconsciously, Puck put his arms around Sabrina's shoulder, trapping her in a warm hug.

A loud, wooden screech that sounded like a thousand splinters echoed from behind Sabrina and she turned her head to see where the noise had come from. A figure came hobbling along the hallway lined with other cells that lead to the occupied cell. The figure was hard to make out, but Sabrina had a definite hunch as to who it was.

Sabrina shook Puck awake.

"Wha-" Puck mumbled sleepily. Sabrina slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Just shut up," Sabrina whispered, keeping both of her eyes on the approaching figure. Puck quickly realized that his arm was wrapped around Sabrina and he let her go, blushing furiously.

Baba Yaga was in a word ugly. That was putting it mildly. Her face was wrinkled and warped by the sands of time. She had three extremely prominent warts on her face, one on her chin, one on her cheek, and one on the very tip of her nose. Each had one protruding greasy hair. She had one milky eye that seemed to go a different direction from her other eye, which was a grotesque color in itself. Her nose was long and pointy and her lips were dried up. She was short and squat and wore clothes with a thousand holes in them, some patched up with worn out cloth. She wore leathern boots with a hole in the toe of the shoe. The leather was faded and caked with dirt and miscellaneous objects which Sabrina cared not to think about. Baba Yaga had put up her few strands of greasy hair into a bandana that was faded and worn.

Sabrina heard Baba Yaga cackle, her steps coming closer. She was carrying a box of matches and, once she reached the cell, she lit up a torch that was hanging on the wall and peered into the cage.

Sabrina cringed. The Grimm family and Baba Yaga didn't exactly see eye-to-eye.

"Grimms! What are you doing here?" Baba Yaga asked in a croaky voice, with her thick Russian accent.

"We came to tell you something. Something important. About the Scarlet Hand," Sabrina said.

Baba Yaga looked down at Sabrina suspiciously. She was not one to be made a fool of. She finally seemed to resolve something in her head. "Come," Baba Yaga beckoned Sabrina up, Puck automatically standing up beside her. Baba Yaga took out a keyring nearly as big as Granny Relda's. She flipped through the keys until she selected a huge, rusty brass key. It slid into the lock with ease and she turned it sideways, opened the door and beckoned Sabrina out. She shut the door in Puck's face and he glared at her, hatred seeping from his gaze.

Once again, Baba Yaga beckoned her over to an adjacent doorway. Baba Yaga opened it and artificial light seeped through it. A rickety staircase lead the way upstairs and into Baba Yaga's kitchen.

Sabrina looked around. The kitchen was in disarray. Apart from the jars of eyeballs, lizard tails, and toad tongues there were scattered books and papers. Wands and magical trinkets littered the floor. Sabrina felt herself tingle with magic and it took all of her might not to grab a wand and feel the essence of power that seeped.

Apart from that, there was a bucketload of dirty dishes looking as if they might teeter over at any moment. A mug that said WORLD'S GREATEST GRANDMOTHER in bold lettering was home to a few wands. A cheap calendar had been tacked up hastily on the wall. It was flipped open to the month of December. On December fourth it said _GET LAUNDRY, MAKE EYEBALL STEW_ in hasty lettering. It was written in blood. This reminded her that it was almost Christmas. It would be her first Christmas with her parents in two years. But with Granny Relda gone Sabrina didn't feel any happier.

Sabrina took a seat at the table, which held an avalanche of paper and pens and a thick book filled with an ancient text. Baba Yaga took a seat across from her and coughed.

"Well, out with it, child!" Baba Yaga said hoarsely.

Sabrina began to ramble. She recapped her tale, starting from when she entered the book to their recent escape. She explained how Atticus was coming, and how Mirror had stolen Granny Relda's body. She told about the Editor and his Revisor's and the White Rabbit, who had escaped.

Baba Yaga said nothing. She quietly nodded her head, but apart from that she didn't even move.

Once Sabrina had finished telling her story she quietly sat, waiting for Baba Yaga to say something.

"I will help you, child. But my magic has a price. What do you have?"

"Um. . . we have books. Lots and lots of books," she said in a hopeful tone.

"I do not want books. I have knowledge enough of such things and the books I need I own. No, I will not take your books."

"Well, what do you want?" Sabrina asked.

Baba Yaga looked around. She looked at the floor, with the magical objects littering it. She then looked at the grimy walls. Then at the dishes. She turned once more to Sabrina. "Clean my house."

"What?" Sabrina cried. Baba Yaga's "house" looked like a nuclear waste zone. Filthy grime, most-likely a hundred years old, covered everything. It would take centuries to get it to look reasonably clean.

"You're services for my services," she stated plainly. "It may possibly be the only way to save the world."

Sabrina grumbled, grunted, and muttered. She closed her eyes for a few moments to think it through. Baba Yaga was right, it very well maybe the only way to world and save her grandmother. She had to save her grandmother and the world, no matter what the consequences. But, something about the magic that surrounded her made her think that she could save the world herself. She fought it, but the thought lingered on in the back of her mind.

"I'll do it," she said finally.

* * *

The rest of the day was, in a word, hell.

Baba Yaga treated the Grimms like they were her slaves. Sabrina had to stop her dish duty to massage Baba Yaga's feet more than once. Daphne nearly got eaten up by a book, because it's pages turned out to be razor sharp fangs, as she tried to put it on a shelf. Puck took a bite out of a sandwich that really did bite back. Veronica and Hank nearly passed out from the fumes of the expired foods that they were clearing out of Baba Yaga's refrigerator. And Uncle Jake almost sky-dived for the first time in his life out of Baba Yaga's attic window when an enchanted ironing board pushed him out.

Only Mr. Canis seemed capable of cleaning without bodily injuring himself or being scarred for life. He mopped, swept, polished, and dusted as if it were the most perfectly normal thing to be doing.

Sabrina was in the middle of cleaning a particularly smelly casserole dish when Puck walked in. Something yellowish was encrusted on the bottom of the dish and the stench coming off of it was incredibly pungent.

"Grimm, how long do we have to do this?" Puck asked. He was wearing an apron, rubber gloves, goggles, and a hospital mask, claiming he 'was allergic to cleaning products and work'.

"I don't know. Ask Baba Yaga," Sabrina said, scrubbing the dish with all of her might.

"No, if I even go near that hag she's going to ask me to rub her temples. I'm not doing that again!" Puck said. "And anyway, this isn't my problem, this is yours! I'm not even sure why I'm doing this!"

"This is the only way to get Granny back and save the world. . . she may be annoying and abusive, but she's the best ally we've got!"

Puck groaned but didn't say anything else.

"Puck, my temples need rubbing again!" Baba Yaga called out from the living room.

"I hate you," Puck said quickly before shuttering and walking into the room where Baba Yaga was laid out on the couch reading a People magazine.

"Ditto!" Sabrina shouted back before continuing her work on the casserole dish.

* * *

The clock on the wall read 11:02 p.m. Sabrina yawned and scrubbed once more before looking around her. The kitchen was transformed. Gone were the papers, piled high, the wands and magical trinkets that littered the floor, and the dirty dishes. The walls were scrubbed clean, as was the floor.

Sabrina walked into the dining room where it was transformed as well. In fact, the entire house was spick and span. Uncle Jake, Veronica, Hank, and Daphne were sitting down in the rickety chairs. Daphne yawned and rubbed her eyes. Everyone was worn out.

"The house is clean," Puck said, walking into the dining room and taking a seat. He took off his gloves, then his apron and his goggles, and lastly his hospital mask. Everyone blew a sigh of relief.

Baba Yaga came in. Sabrina had never seen her looking so happy. Her face was glowing a golden hew and she was smiling, actually smiling!

"Okay, Old Mother. We did what you want, now you do what we want," Uncle Jake said in a commanding tone.

Baba Yaga glared at him. A book zipped past Baba Yaga and fell onto the table. She flicked her hand and the book opened up to a page nearing the end. It was a thick book, and extremely old. It was filled with an ancient text. To Sabrina it looked like complete gibberish.

"Old Mother, this says that-" Uncle Jake started.

"Yes, I know."

"But-"

* * *

A/N- Ooh, a cliffy! What will happen next? I'm not exactly sure.

Anyway, I'd like to thank Secretive, Lara D, BrendanW, Booksonclouds, and SabrinaDaphne13 for reviewing! Sorry, this chapter was shorter and it's kind of a filler chapter. I needed them to do something for Baba Yaga to help them so this is what they had to do! Anyway, the next chapter will be up in a day or so depending on my schedule (I have a karate tournament this Saturday and I have to practice a LOT! My sensi said that category is really tough which is never a good sign!). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. The next chapter will most-likely have slight Puckabrina.

Cheers,

ManMenDude


	3. III

A/N: Okay. . . after eating a bucket-full of espresso-chip ice cream, enough skittles to fill an Olympic-sized pool, and five bags of nacho-cheese doritos I present to you, Chapter 3!

I just went through a severe case of writer's block that, thankfully, passed fairly quickly. This was probably one of the hardest chapters anyway, because I had to do EXTENSIVE research (ooh, I used a big word) to make the story fit together.

But enough of my jabber-jawing (because right now I am just raving).

3

"Master, the troops are prepared," Nottingham said.

"Excellent. We shall strike in five days time," Mirror said. He was sitting in a darkened room, the natural light of the other rooms burned his eyes. There was one window near the ceiling. It was small, with thick iron bars on it. The room was particularly empty. There was a bed in the corner and a desk and matching chair. A fire had been set in a an old-fashioned fireplace. Granny Relda was stoking the fire gently as Nottingham had relayed the information. She now stood up and smiled, glinting evilly. She sat down at the desk and took out a piece of parchment and quill and scribbled something and folded up the paper. She slipped it into a thick envelope and scribbled a name onto it.

She stood up and handed it to Nottingham.

"Deliver this to Bunny Lancaster immediately."

"But, Master, it's raining and Bunny Lancaster lives on the other side of town. Besides which, she isn't part of the Scarlet Hand and wishes nothing to do with us," Nottingham explained.

"She will come and if I ask her. Go now, rain or shine. I must speak with her," Mirror said gravely.

"Yes, Master." Nottingham turned and left, the door swinging behind him, finally shutting with a loud 'thunk'.

Granny collapsed onto the floor in a loud heap. She clutched her hands to her head and shouted in agony. It felt as if someone was cracking her head open and the contents spilling on the floor. The pain was white hot and ice cold, it burned and flashed in her eyes. She couldn't run from it and holding her head did nothing to cease the pain. She sat there, rocking herself. And for a brief moment she felt clarity. A flash of white hot crossed her eyes and she cried out once more.

Her cries of whimper were heard by the card-soldiers stationed outside of the room. They rushed in with Heart at their heels. Dropping their weapons they looked at the body on the floor, twitching as if controlled by some other force.

"Fetch a doctor, quickly!" Heart cried.

"She's going to faint!" A card-soldier shouted.

Granny Relda's eyes rolled back into their sockets and she became still. . .

* * *

It was pouring. Thunder crashed and lighning zapped all around. The wind was howling, sounding more like words.

Sabrina looked out of the window and clenched her jaw. She was sitting on a small couch looking out of the window. The room was empty and still. The only noise was coming from the dining room, where Baba Yaga and Uncle Jake were taking turns talking heatedly and explaining the book. Sabrina blinked back tears but it was to late, Daphne and the others weren't around to see her cry and she felt that if she didn't cry she would explode her emotions in screams. So she cried. One tear at first, then another, and then she started sobbing silently. She didn't hear the door open and close softly. Or the padding footsteps that did their best to remain silent to Sabrina's sharp tears. But she noticed when the figure slid down next to her on the couch.

It was Puck, with a look of concern written over his face. She quickly dried her tears and put her best mean face on. She knew he would laugh and ridicule her. She knew she would silently hurt inside but she would retort with an angry insult and it would go back and forth like a tennis match.

But Puck, instead, spoke in a clear voice that was so un-Puck like that it made Sabrina tremble with fear. "It's okay, Grimm."

The three words hit Sabrina like bullets, hitting their target with ease and grace. The three words made Sabrina wind up like a top and spin out of control.

"Okay?" she snorted, "It will never be okay if we just sit here! You heard them! Mirror can never be destroyed!"

The words rang in her ears and tasted bitter in her mouth. It was like the words were bouncing off of the walls and echoing around them. The minute she spoke them they instantly regretted it.

Technically, they weren't true. Mirror could be destroyed. But only by his creator- Bunny Lancaster. Sabrina was eager to visit Bunny immediately, to say the least. In fact she was ticked off that they weren't calling on Bunny at the moment. It felt like they, meaning the Grimm family were fighting her, Sabrina, every step of the way. Even Puck. And for some reason this stung especially.

Puck looked at a loss for words. His face was blank and it was as if he was fighting with himself. Sabrina didn't even notice. She had let another tear roll down her face, quickly drying it.

He suddenly got up, nodded curtly and walked to the door. He stopped at the door and turned around, "It will be okay. I promise you, Sabrina."

". . . Oh, and I still hate you."

"I hate you, too," Sabrina said laughing before her face came sullen again. "Thank you, Puck."

"Now let's not get all mushy. After all, I am a villain-"

"Of the worst kind," she finished. "I know."

"And don't forget it!"

* * *

Bunny Lancaster lived in a run-down apartment building on the upper side of Ferryport Landing. Nestled between a thicket of trees and a bookstore. The apartment complex was a redbrick building with white shutters, silver drainage-pipes, and about a million cats running about it. There was a garden that was in desperate need of two things: water and weeding. A long driveway had been dreadfully neglected with weeds and grass sticking out of long cracks that run from the beginning down to the end. The street in front of the building was full of potholes and it was a long, bumpy drive for the Grimms.

"Bunny lives here?" Daphne asked and Sabrina couldn't blame her. If she were a witch with extraordinary magical abilities she would live in a dump with a bunch of cats.

Sabrina shrugged, "I guess so."

"Oh, look at that adorable kitty!" Daphne squealed, looking down at an extremely fluffy, white kitten. It had big green eyes and a soft pink nose. Daphne crouched down and began to pet it's head mercilessly. The cat hissed and snapped his jaw at Daphne's outstretched hand. Daphne retracted her hand immediately and shrieked. "Evil kitty!"

"Come on, let's go," Sabrina commanded. The Grimm family nodded and they filed into the apartment building.

Bunny Lancaster lived on the second floor in apartment 2B. The apartment door was easy to find, it was a plywood door with cheap gold lettering attached to the front. Uncle Jake wrapped loudly on the door. There was no answer. Veronica rang the buzzer. There was no answer. Henry kicked the door. There was no answer.

"Bunny?" Uncle Jake called in.

There was no answer.

Sabrina tried the doorknob. It opened easily and the door swung open as if a gust of wind had knocked it open. Sabrina looked around at the disheveled room. Books had been knocked off of their shelves, cushions had been knocked off of the couch, papers littered the floor as if they had been trampled upon. Knick knacks had been brutally smashed on the floor, as well as magical trinkets, wands, etc.

"Is it just me, or is Bunny exceptionally untidy?" Daphne asked.

"Let me just make this clear," Puck said, "I am not, I repeat _not_ cleaning up another hag's house!"

"She was kidnapped. Someone, three guesses who, barged into her apartment. She put up a hell of a good fight, you can tell from the way the place is disheveled," Veronica noted.

"There's blood. Here," Sabrina said, pointing to several drops of blood. Dried blood.

"Whoever did this has had enough time to make a clean getaway, that's for sure." Uncle Jake stated.

"Hey, what's this?" Daphne asked, holding up a glinting silver ball, about the size of a marble. And the next minute she had collapsed on the floor. . .

* * *

A/N: Okay! Sorry, chapter's shorter, I know. . . the next chapter will be longer I promise. I'm kind of sick and I'm having writer's block! Ugh! Anyway, please please review! I want SEVEN more reviews for the next chapter! So review! Constructive criticism welcome.

I apologize for any spelling errors or grammar errors. Like I said before, I'm sick and I'll make sure to edit any mistakes I've made.

Cheers,

ManMenDude


	4. IV

4

Daphne Grimm was laying in a cot, sandwiched in between crisp white sheets and a navy blue, woolen blanket. Her hair was lying in it's same ratty pigtails that she had worn the day before. Her eyes were closed and her mouth parted slightly. She didn't move and her breathing was even, yet silent.

Sabrina looked down at her younger sister casually, hoping-in the back of her mind-that her eyes would flutter open and she would smile nonchalantly as if nothing had ever happened. But no, Daphne's face remained perfectly still and Sabrina turned her face away, blinking back tears. She carefully caressed her sister's hand, memorizing every square millimeter, remembering the little freckle on her pinky and the callus she got from writing with her right hand.

A shadow cast across the medical tent. Sabrina looked up in shock.

"Okay, 'Brina?" Snow White asked sweetly, a slight sound of sadness echoing from her words.

"What?" Sabrina asked.

"Look, Sabrina, I know it's tough. And I'm not going to tell you something like everything's gonna work out, or the good guys always win-cause that's not life. Trust me. I've seen everything and anything. I know something about how it works. But I will tell you that you should never give up. Not ever. You've got a family that loves you to death and would do anything for you. And a certain fairy boy." Snow White said slyly, taking a seat next to Sabrina.

"Puck?" Sabrina asked dubiously. She was almost positive that the only thing Puck would love to death was pranks and free food and possibly cable and the only thing he'd do for Sabrina was humiliate her.

"Yes, Puck!" Snow exclaimed as if it were obvious, "That boy is head over heels in love with you."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Puck?"

"You can't run from love, Sabrina," Snow said softly.

Sabrina's eyebrows twisted in thought as she mulled over Snow's words.

Suddenly, Prince Charming barged into the tent looking especially handsome in old fashioned army attire.

"Why Snow, you look absolutely gorgeous this morning!" Charming exclaimed, taking her hand and giving it a big, wet smooch.

"That's _General_ _White_, to you," Snow corrected, letting a small smile escape at the compliment.

"And how's our invalid doing today?" the Prince asked, ignoring Snow's correction.

"Sleepy," Sabrina muttered.

A gust of wind suddenly blew open the tent flap and Puck, who was testing his aim with a bow and arrow, could be seen by Sabrina. Puck turned his gaze and their eyes locked. Sabrina blushed and turned away.

"I have to go train this blasted army, but I shall see you later, my sweet," Charming sang and left the tent.

Snow's words echoed in both Sabrina and Snow's heads.

_ "You can't run from love."_

_

* * *

_

The Grimm family dined early without conversing much. Sabrina still couldn't believe that just as her family had come together, everyone happy, Daphne was put under a magical coma. Her little sister, her beloved Daphne. The one thing that she had to protect the past two years. Sabrina gulped back sobs and swallowed a hard lump of bread.

After dinner, Henry insisted that the Grimms spend the night in the medical tent, all together, with Daphne. They laid out cots and sleeping bags and pillows and made themselves as comfortable as they could be because the ground was hard and rocky. They then agreed that an adult should take watch. They would switch off, Veronica taking watch first.

Sabrina settled down into her sleeping bag and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Sabrina awoke with a start. Her hair was soaked through-and-through with sweat. She climbed out of her sleeping bag and looked around the tent. It was Uncle Jake's turn to take watch but he had drifted off to sleep and was now snoring loudly, though not as loudly as Puck.

She decided, since she was up, that she would take watch and she sat on her cot with absolute stillness. She had a lot on her mind and she began thinking things over. She made a list in her mind of what happened:

* * *

1. Mirror had taken Granny Relda.

2. Attis had been released from the Book of Everafter-which, according to everybody, was a bad thing, a very, very bad thing!

3. Bunny Lancaster, Snow's mother, had been kidnapped by the Scarlet Hand.

4. And Daphne, after touching a magical silver ball, had been put into a magical coma with no hope of waking up.

* * *

Something was missing. There was something someone said in the Book of Everafter. The Editor, maybe? Or was it one of the Book's characters? What was it? Sabrina knew there was something, something that would help the Grimms. Something. But what?

And then it hit her. The story, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, had been the one that had been unstable. She had changed it, Snow White (Sabrina guessed). Because. . .because the end. Yes, that's right, the end had been shatteringly tragic, Sabrina recounted. Snow White had changed it. And maybe, just maybe, Snow would know a way to stop Atticus.

Sabrina knew there was no time to spare-Snow White could be kidnapped by the Scarlet Hand before dawn broke. She had to talk with her. Now.

Sabrina, without leaving a note or waking up one of her family members, slipped out of the tent and ran through a muddy path that ran in between the various tents. She heard running footsteps and her name being shouted after her and she turned around, huffing and, all of a sudden, in an extremely bad mood.

It was Puck. He caught up with her, coughing and wheezing.

"What?" Sabrina asked angrily, but her voice was hollow sounding, even to her. Perhaps it was because the fluffy, airy feeling in her stomach, or the way her heart fluttered when Puck was near. She did her best to ignore it but it felt as if it was crawling through her, and finally entering and taking over her mind.

"You can't expect to leave without any protection, can you?"

"And you're my protection?"

"Well, yes!"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously, "What's in it for you?"

"Well, the way I figure it, when the Old Lady finally does come back she's gonna thank me and if I take care of you that definitely deserves extra TV time and extra deserts!"

"Figures," Sabrina muttered.

The couple walked on a few minutes in silence, Sabrina looking around at the tents to make sure they didn't pass Snow's tent.

"What are we looking for anyway, Sabrina?" Puck asked.

Sabrina looked at him, Puck hardly ever used her real name. Even in emergencies. Dogface? Yes. Sabrina? Not so much. She ignored it though and answered his question. "I need to talk with Snow."

"Now? You do know it's like two in the morning. . . and I could use my beauty sleep."

Sabrina rolled her eyes but nodded. "It's important."

Silence then invaded the couple's conversation as the night seemed to grow darker and denser.

Finally, Sabrina and Puck came upon a small, dark tent. It smelled like roses and honeysuckle. Sabrina was the first one to step through the flap. Her mouth gaped open. It was _not_ what she had expected. It was huge. There was a queen-sized bed with a sleeping Snow, a chest of drawers, and a beautiful oriental rug on a hardwood floor. Through a door and into another room, a kitchen-space with a refrigerator, counter-space, and a microwave smelled like fresh cookies. And then there was a large room with a cushy couch, two reclining chairs, and a coffee-table. Not to mention two bathrooms, a den, and a guest bedroom.

"Hey, how come we didn't get a tent like this?" Puck demanded.

* * *

"It's amazing what some magic and a credit card can do," Snow said, looking around at the living room. "Coffee?" Both Sabrina and Puck shook their heads no and Snow shrugged and took a seat on the couch. Sabrina and Puck were sitting in the two recliners and both munching on some cookies.

"Okay," Snow said, taking a sip of her coffee, "I know you didn't just come to my tent to gawk at it. What's up?"

"We know," Sabrina said, swallowing her bite of cookie.

"What?" Snow laughed and took another sip of her coffee.

"The Editor told us; we know."

Snow's smiling face became stony and solemn.

"We need to know the original story. This could be the only way to stop Atticus and defeat the Hand. Please, Snow," Sabrina begged softly.

"Don't judge me because of what I did. I was young," Snow said softly.

"Once upon a time in the middle of winter, when the flakes of snow were falling like feathers from the sky, a queen, Bunny Lancaster, sat at a window sewing, and the frame of the window was made of black ebony. And while she was sewing and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell upon the snow. And the red looked pretty upon the white snow, and she thought to herself, would that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the window-frame. Soon after that she had a little daughter, me, who was as white as snow, and as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony, and she was called little Snow White. You know that part."

"Wait a second, Bunny Lancaster is your _mother_? But in the book she was your step-mother!"

"I re-wrote it that way. At the time I thought it was better to have an evil step-mother than have an evil mother; one might think that _I_ turned out evil," Snow explained.

"Anyway, Bunny was tremendously jealous of me, for she did not realize to the extent of her wishes. She wanted to be the prettiest in the kingdom, but Mirror, or her looking glass, told her otherwise. But it wasn't just looks that made her angry, it was her husband, my father, Atticus. My father was an angry, greedy king. All he wished for was money. Until the day I turned sixteen. He then fell in love with me and it was then that Bunny grew extremely jealous, to the point of having me killed."

"Ew! Your dad fell in _love_ with you?" Sabrina exclaimed.

"At the time fathers fell in love with their daughters all the time-it was strangely a very common thing to have happen," Snow said.

"As I was saying, Bunny had a hunter go with me to the woods and have me killed. Well, he spared me and I ran into the woods. Now, it wasn't like the Disney movie, I didn't sing and animals magically appeared and guided the way. No, it was frightening and I spent two days in search of a home. The forest, at the time, was filled with magical beasts and killers and pirates and ghosts and witches and not to many dancing chipmunks, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I found the seven dwarves cottage and I lived there."

"Now, the hunter came back to the castle with a heart of a boar, I believe. Bunny then roasted it and ate it. But the news of the killing did not escape my father, who flew into a rage and he swore to have my mother killed. But he did not stop at that, he went to a sorcerer, an evil sorcerer, who turned him into a monster. I'm talking a lean, mean, killing machine. He then went in search of me in the woods; dead or alive, he wanted me."

"But, after the news that I was still alive and somewhere in the woods, my mother, Bunny, was even more convinced to kill me-herself, this time. She dressed herself in rags of a peasant and disguised her face and voice to that of an old woman. She then went in search of the dwarves' cottage with a basket of poisoned apples. Even though the dwarves had told me repeatedly not to open the door to anyone, I was naive back then, and a little idiotic. When the beggar woman came knocking I gladly opened the door and purchased an apple. I then ate it and, well, you know the rest. The dwarves found me on the floor, asleep, and, after unsuccessfully trying to wake me up, put me in a glass coffin to await my true love's kiss."

"Prince Charming came, that he did. And he kissed me and I awoke. But my father had found me as Prince Charming had kissed me and he killed Prince Charming, there as I awoke. He killed him slowly, in front of me and he killed part of me. It felt as if my soul had been taken out. I then spent the rest of my life in an old castle. I wasn't allowed outside of it, for my father was insanely jealous and worried that I might leave him, and I probably would have. I was chained to my bed and I was only allowed to move around the castle in certain rooms. I was a prisoner."

Sabrina looked around. Puck was sound asleep and snoring and Snow's face was red and blotchy from crying.

"I'm-I'm so sorry. I really am," Sabrina spoke softly.

Snow wiped away her tears and grinned. "It's okay. Sure, I was kind of paranoid about dating an 'older man' for about a hundred years but I got over it. Part of the reason I left Billy at the alter, I didn't want him to imprison me. Plus, he is two years older than me."

"Any questions?" Snow asked.

"Well, yes," Sabrina answered, "Do you know how to _stop_ Atticus?"

"I don't know how, but I know someone who does-"

* * *

_A/N: Ah, cliffy! Who will it be? What's going to happen? Will Sabrina and Puck ever get together? And whatever happened to Mirror/Granny Relda? All (okay, maybe not all) will be revealed in the next chapter of the Final Battle!_

_I am so sorry about not updating in FOREVER! I have been so busy, I had a karate tournament, then I got a bruised rib (incidentally FROM the karate tournament), then I had my art class, we're also moving so that's been REALLY chaotic, we had a humongous garage sale that completely wiped me out, and then school started and on the very first day they piled on tons of homework! So, I finally got around to writing the next chapter and here it is. Now, I proofread it about a million times but even I make mistakes (ha ha ha ha!) so if you see any mistakes spelling, grammatical, punctuational, etc. tell me and I will fix it! _

_Anyway, I want to hear what you guys think of my next chapter so REVIEW, por favor! _

_Cheers,_

_ManMenDude_


	5. V

5

* * *

Sabrina Grimm stomped through the camp with Puck in tow. The night sky was dark and they used just the moon to navigate through the neat rows of tents. It was hard to tell the difference between the tents. Finally, after much searching, Sabrina found their tent. She opened the flap to turmoil. Five different lamps had been turned on in the frenzy, making the inside of the tent a blinding light. Henry was shouting at Uncle Jake. Uncle Jake was shouting at Mr. Canis. Mr. Canis was shouting at Red. Red was shouting at Veronica. And Basil was screaming at everyone. The cots had been turned over and the sleeping bags were in dishevel.

Puck slipped in behind Sabrina and whistled shrilly. The group looked at the couple in wide-eyed wonder for a few moments before Henry stepped forward.

"Sabrina, where on Earth have you been?" Henry shouted angrily.

Sabrina looked abashed, realizing that the turmoil had been caused by Puck and her's disappearance.

"I. . . had a hunch," she mumbled apologetically. Puck, for the first time in his life, was looking at the ground, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"No note! You didn't even wake one of us up and let us know you were going! For all we knew you could have been kidnapped by the Scarlet Hand! I am so ashamed of you! We've all been so worried. Worried out of our minds! We were terrified! And you prance on back as if you have done nothing wrong!" Henry ranted, completely ignoring Sabrina's vague explanation.

"Henry - relax. She obviously didn't mean to upset us - upset _you_ so much. She must have had to do something important." Veronica sided with Sabrina. She put a hand on his shoulder. It had a calming affect on the angry man and he instantly relaxed.

"Now, Sabrina-" Veronica took her steady gaze and placed it on Sabrina, who instantly averted her eyes. "-the next time something so important arises, at least leave a note."

Sabrina swallowed and nodded her head in acceptance.

The tent was silent for a moment until a timid voice asked, "Just what was so important?" Red said shyly, before backing into the shadows once more.

It was Puck who promptly answered.

"Sabrina - I mean Grimm - had a clue which 'apparently' couldn't wait until morning because she has short-term memory loss. So, she dragged me up out of bed at two-in-the-morning because apparently she is also afraid of the dark and needed someone brave, strong, and handsome to help her. Now, I was against it - after all, a king really does need _and_ use his beauty sleep. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, Sabrina - I mean Grimm's - many fears, problems, and phobias. Well, her whining voice was truly grating on my nerves so (in a fit of minor insanity) I said I would help her. So, we raced out of the tent (in all of the whining Grimm forgot to leave a note) and went in search of Snow's tent. Anyway, once we successfully found Snow's tent (because it turns out that Grimm is also slightly blind) we raced inside and what do you think we found?"

"What?" Veronica asked, soon realizing that Puck's recap wasn't exactly, completely "truthful".

"Her tent had a flat screen TV! With cable! An she had fresh baked cookies! And a bedroom, with bathrooms! That had plumbing! Not like the smelly out-houses we have to use!" Puck exclaimed, crinkling his nose in disgust.

"Anyway. . . where was I? Oh, of course: how much our camp stinks. We asked Snow something. Ummm. . . I believe it was about that dude, Atticus?" he looked to Sabrina for a confirmation on the name. Once she nodded, he continued. "Well, she told some long-winded story about nothing in particular. After she told her story we raced back here and that is where you find us."

Sabrina rolled her eyes. Puck's story was untruthful and vague. It was obvious that the rest of the family was confused. So, Sabrina told the rest of the story in detail.

After Sabrina had clarified the tale the family looked unsettled. The truth was, Sabrina was unsettled as well. Snow's information had helped them by clarifying major points of the fairy tale but, in fact, the new tale brought them no closer to stopping Mirror. In fact, it brought them right back to Mirror.

You see, the wizard that had "created" Atticus did eventually die, as he was not told in the story. For safe keeping, he wrote down a log or journal of his magical abilities and put it into the Hall of Wonders, letting Mirror be kept in charge of it. Along with all of his magical abilities (wands, rings, trinkets, etc…).

"That is one thing I am positive that Mirror collected from the Hall of Wonders before he left!" Veronica had replied to the news as so.

Uncle Jake's reaction was a queer one. He ran his fingers through his hair and his face became very pale, nearly turning a light green color. He mumbled something to himself. And then sat down with a loud _thump_.

Henry looked as if he was boiling with anger, to the point of him exploding and spattering across the walls of the canvas tent.

Red looked shocked but showed little move in emotion. Her face hardly changed from its usual shy, queer expression.

Mr. Canis casually grunted. He showed no emotion to the news. Sabrina noticed, though, a fear lurking in his eyes.

But Sabrina saw something else, an expression, that masked everybody: confusion. So, once again, Sabrina spoke in a clear, calm voice. Giving directions with ease.

"Okay. We need to work fast. I am positive that the Scarlet Hand is preparing for an attack as soon as possible. Probably in two weeks, or so. And, if my hunch is correct, it will be their strongest attack yet. So, I think we should split up. Uncle Jake, you and dad need to find a cure to wake up Daphne from her magic coma. Mom, and Red, help Nurse Sprat organize the medical tent and prepare for a whole lot of injuries. Mr. Canis, you need to talk to Prince Charming and help ready the troops for battle. Immediately!" She looked around, pausing a moment to catch her breath.

"What about you and Puck?" Veronica asked.

"We're going to check the perimeter of the camp and the water towers." Sabrina explained calmly, a pink blush creeping up her cheeks.

Then, the Grimms decided it was important to be well-rested. Especially with the tasks that lay ahead. So, they rearranged the sleeping bags and cots. The lamps were extinguished and soon the group was sound asleep.

* * *

With a calm, clear eye, the elderly woman surveyed the army that lay before her. Hundred, possibly thousands, of magical creatures sat before her clad in thick leathern armor. Just a few adjustments and they would be ready.

Adjustments! Just the word made her gag. When Bunny had been brought before her to give her a remedy she looked down at the elderly woman with a cold, sinister glance and then smirked.

"You're body is just making a few. . .adjustments." She had said. That was all. She was then returned to her cell. No remedy, no magical numbing medicine! Not even an aspirin! She had left the body writhing in pain on the floor. The carelessness some people had with their own creation.

The woman had finally stopped twisting and writhing in pain as the temporary "adjustments" concluded. And now she was standing on a platform overlooking an army. All the army stood perfectly still. All was calm. From the outside appearance. The woman's face was gray and wrinkled. Her eyes were little black dots, twitching from one figure to the next. Her mouth was a line, topped with a thin layer of lipstick that was gradually wearing off. Her hair was graying, with streaks of it's original color, a fire-hydrant red. She was wearing a brown tweed skirt and a green turtleneck sweater, the same outfit she had worn for nearly a week.

And all was calm.

Except for the soul inside - the desperate, angry, evil soul that desperately wanted to be free. The soul that asked for this elderly prison. Mirror.

* * *

Sabrina had woken up just as the sun rose up over the pine forest. There was a brief glimmer of pink and baby blue shimmering across the morning sky. The dewy grass sparkled like emerald-colored gems. Sabrina crept from the tent. She walked past all of the tent, the mess-hall, and the water towers; no one was up.

She found a small alcove. It was a rocky cave nestled in between a few small rocks. Unlike the rest of the camp, the soil hadn't been turned and this particular area seemed quite natural.

She sat down and looked around. She could see most of the camp but the spot was partially hidden. And she began to think.

She was scared.

All of a sudden she felt everything fall upon her and her shoulder's sagged. She wouldn't cry. She resisted the sudden urge to curl up into a little ball and sob her eyes out. Yes, she was stronger than that. Much stronger.

Sabrina stood up to her fullest height. She puffed out her chest. She was Sabrina Grimm! She could beat all of the boys at the orphanage at arm wrestling, she wasn't afraid of spiders, and she would not cry!

"You're not alone, ya know," Puck said.

Sabrina whirled around in anger to find herself face to face with Puck.

"What?" she demanded, suddenly very annoyed.

"You, Sabrina Grimm, are not alone. The world does not rest upon your shoulders. Yes, I know you have been alone before, but not anymore. You have a mother and a father (no matter how mean and unjust he can be). And a sister who is crazy about you, even though she is in a magical coma. And an Uncle who helped you get addicted to magic! And a loving grandmother. . . well, sort-of. And you have Mr. Canis, Red, Snow White, Prince Charming (maybe). And you have. . ."

"And?"

"Uh. . . a lotta other people," he replied, shifting back and forth.

"That's not the point!" he continued hastily, "The point is you are loved. And surrounded by people who love you. I wish, for once, people cared about me. Not because I am a king and I throw a big fit if I don't get my way! No, I mean people who actually cared about me. Loved me, truly loved me!" he almost shouted.

"But, no. I am the Trickster King. I make enemies, not friends. I tease, I humiliate, I laugh! And no one has once told me they loved me. Not my father, not my mother, not my brother! Just that homicidal maniac, Moth! I've never even wanted one before. A family, I mean. I suppose I always just thought it was a waste of time! But when I saw your family together, whole. Your mother and father and sister and Uncle and Grandmother and all of your friends. I was envious. I've never had anything close to that. I have an insane mother, a younger brother, a dead father. And they all hate me. I've let them down, one way or another. No one loves me. No one ever shall."

"But, Puck-" she started.

"What?" he asked, hopefully.

"Nothing," she mumbled quietly. Averting her gaze to the ground where she grew a very keen interest in a little brown pebble.

A few awkward moments passed, filled with antagonizing silence.

Suddenly, Sabrina looked up and began they're usual tactics. "-Stinkpot, why are you here, anyway?" She asked angrily.

"I was just. . . ummm. . . well, you see," he mumbled. His reply, though, was interrupted by a loud screeching as the big gate was opened. Sabrina and Puck looked at each other, they'r eyes wide with fear. They both took off running and reached the gate in a few moments. They were just in time to see a chicken pass the threshold.

The chicken in question was a big, fat bird with large yellow wings and a speckled brown tail. His beak was yellow, his eyes were black, and his face was full of fear. He was hopping up and down; first on his right leg, then on his left leg, and then on both of his legs.

It took a few moments before Sabrina was finally able to calm the poor, clucking create down.

She finally was able to, though, and asked, "What's the matter?"

The bird replied in a wobbly, wavering voice, "I just heard word from the Scarlet Hand. They're going to attack in four days!" The chicken's voice then wavered, and he dropped down on the ground.

He had passed out from fear.

* * *

A/N: Oh my gosh! I am soooooo extremely sorry about not updating in forever! Along with school and art class it's been really hectic! I've been sitting on this chapter for a long time and I finally published it. Sorry if there are any corrections but I just wanted to update. I'll look over it and edit it if there are any.

And don't forget to REVIEW POR FAVOR! Everyone of you reviews help so press the button underneath! I want at LEAST five reviews for the next chapter! So review!

Cheers,

ManMenDude


	6. VI

This chapter goes out to all the wonderful, wonderful people who reviewed! I love you all. Not in a gay sense. Not that I have anything against gays or lesbians. They're wonderful, wonderful people. Okay, I'm gonna shut up now... so enjoy!

BTW, I found a correction in my own story and I'm very ticked off about it... when I'm describing what Granny Relda/Mirror is wearing I described something so completely wrong! I said she was wearing a turtleneck sweater or something-well she's not! She's wearing a purple dress with a matching hat with a sunflower applique on it... I think. Well, I'm very sorry about that.

* * *

6

There were several things Sabrina hated doing. One of which was being flung through the air like an over-grown parcel. And that was exactly what Sabrina was doing.

"Pus-brain! Put me down right now!" Sabrina shrieked in fear as she flew high into the air, arching across the sky, and coming down to the ground like a bullet, stopping just short of the rocky terrain. No, Sabrina could not fly, but she was in the arms of someone who could-Puck. Yes, the devilish fairy was flipping through the air like a professional gymnast flinging Sabrina here and there.

"I would say okay," Puck started. Sabrina's eyes looked up to him hopefully, "But I would be lying." He smirked and did the most complex flying stunt yet-a burst of energy from his wings had them arching nearly three hundred yards from the ground, Sabrina screaming her head off. He then did several flips, air hand-stands, cartwheels, and various gymnastic stunts until they landed softly onto the ground.

"Well, that's the last of the gate-perimeter check, done!" Sabrina said, recovering slightly from her "flight".

"Really?" Puck asked, "I think that there's some more unchecked perimeter over there!" Puck insisted and, before Sabrina could protest and run for her life, Puck grabbed her by the arm and flew her high up into the sky and the ran the perimeter of the tower, Puck doing his usual antics.

It was twenty minutes later that a gleeful-looking Puck and a slightly-green-looking Sabrina returned to the camp. Veronica was the first of the Grimm-clan to meet them, as she was running for some bandages.

"How was the perimeter check?" she asked, looking from Puck to Sabrina and Sabrina to Puck.

"Great!" Puck shouted.

"Traumatizing!" Sabrina exclaimed.

Veronica didn't even bat an eyelash at the two remarks, she merely shrugged her shoulders and said in an even tone, "Well, we're almost all set with the medical tent, go ask Snow and Charming what you can do to help them."

The couple then stumbled away to find Prince Charming staring adoringly at Snow, who was barking orders at several new army recruits.

"What are you two lovebirds doing here?" Charming spat.

"What?" Sabrina and Puck cried in unison.

"Oh, never mind!" the Prince exclaimed.

Sabrina shook off the remark and asked, "So. . . is there anything we can do to help, _Billy_?"

"Unless you can help me get a date with Snow. . ." Prince Charming mumbled before realizing that Puck and Sabrina were listening intently, whereupon he turned bright red.

"What were you saying?" Puck asked, devilishly.

"Nothing-nothing to concern yourself over here! I know! The outhouses need a good scrubbing!" he exclaimed and pushed the couple in the direction of a smelly building. "Go! Clean!"

The outhouse in question was a narrow building that was rather rickety and built extremely poorly. There wasn't much inside, except for a couple of rolls of toilet paper and a bucket. The bucket was filled with . . . waste.

"Wow! We really need to tell the mess-hall to stop serving beans!" Puck said, plugging his nose.

"You're one to talk! Didn't you have _seven_ servings of beans last night?" Sabrina asked.

"Hey! This isn't about me!" Puck defended himself.

A few silent moments passed.

"Okay. . . you can go ahead and clean it now." Puck said.

"I'm not cleaning that thing!" Sabrina retorted, crinkling her nose in disgust.

It was Snow White that found Puck and Sabrina locked in mortal combat, trying to persuade the other into cleaning the outhouse.

"What are you two doing?" She exclaimed.

"Cleaning the outhouse," Sabrina grumbled, rubbing her head with her newfound headache.

"Well, don't waste your time on silliness like that. I've got something special I want to show you guys." Snow beckoned the two children and they walked for about five minutes, twisting in between cabins and tents until they came upon Snow's tent. Snow opened the flap, allowing the two to pass before she walked in.

The two took a seat on two chairs. Snow offered them coffee, which they both declined. She then offered them a round of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies which they ate greedily. She then sat down on the couch across from them.

"I remembered something else about Atticus. But first I want you to see this. It's getting dangerous out there. The humans are getting wise." She said softly before picking up a small remote control and clicking a few buttons. Her television set turned on to a Channel Four News.

* * *

_'Hello Janice, I'm here with Channel Four News at the scene of a crime. A mysterious murder occurred this afternoon. The surgeon general declares the crime must have taken place around ten o'clock this morning.' _

_ 'John and Margaret Remington were walking through the streets of a busy New York street when they were attacked by what many eye-witnesses called "a vampire". The police have put these remarks down as shock from the occurrence. Other, more accurate-sounding reports have come in saying that the perpetrator was in fact a very pale, tall man with blood red eyes and sharp teeth. It appears as if John and Margaret were attacked and their blood sucked from their very veins. On their shirts was a blood-red handprint. The detective on the case believes that this was the work of a homicidal maniac and is now searching every asylum for an escapee. It is important to be on the look out for "a vampire" so be on guard. This is Edward Collins-worth for Channel Four News.'_

_

* * *

_

"Wait. . . what?" Puck asked as Snow flipped off the TV.

"It appears as if word of the Scarlet Hand has gotten out of Ferryport Landing. This is only one of many murders and injuries from so-called "fairy-tale creatures". New York City will soon get wise and the Everafters will be found out."

Sabrina was silent a moment, "Wait a moment. . . I thought that vampires weren't real."

"Actually, they've always just been kind of urban-legend. But you never know, they've been able to 'hibernate' or stay locked in a tomb for hundreds of years. For all we know, someone could have opened his tomb and released him. A vampire who's been 'hibernating' for a long time normally have extreme blood-lust and will do anything for blood, even work for the Scarlet Hand," Snow explained.

Sabrina was satisfied with her question but discontented with the news they had just heard. Even Puck looked worried. Things were going from worse to terrible.

"But that's not why I wanted you guys. I forgot something-something about Atticus," she said, "Atticus wasn't exactly. . . human afterwards. I know I told you that but. . . it's different. He isn't just not human. He's a monster. It's like his very presence is evil. You see, the thing is. Everything he touches-well, dies."

Sabrina stared blankly into the wall. "Well, we're fighting a huge, blood-thirsty army and one of their fighters kills anything he touches. . . fudge."

* * *

Granny Relda was sitting in the dark with her head hung back over her chair. Her mouth was slightly open and her eyes were closed. Her arms, hands, and fingers were trembling and she was as cold as ice.

The door opened and Mayor Heart stalked in, followed my Nottingham. The door was then shut and Mayor Heart's voice rang through the cold room.

"Master. The army is ready."

"Nearly," Mirror said, "I want Atticus. He will bring our army to victory. Fetch him for me. Just be careful-don't touch him."

Without a word the two left the room, not quite sure how they were going to get Atticus if they couldn't touch him.

* * *

Everyone in the camp was there. The mess-hall had been cleared and was now full of crowded, rowdy, Everafters. Sabrina had taken a seat near the front where she had a clear view of a small section that had been cut off, where Prince Charming was going to make the announcements. Sabrina had taken a seat next to Puck. Red was on the other side of her. In the row behind them was her father, her uncle, and Mr. Canis. Her mother, Veronica Grimm, was sitting in the tent with Daphne.

A bell had been rung and the entire crowd shushed. Many Everafters either took a seat or stood near the back.

"Hello, everyone." Prince Charming spoke in a clear voice that penetrated the now-silent room. "We have received word that the Scarlet Hand was made plans to penetrate our forces in, now, three days. Our only plan of action is to beat them to the punch. So, my colleagues and I have decided to attack the Scarlet Hand the day after tomorrow. To do this we have to be at our best. Not just our physical best, but our mental best. We must remain positive in everything we do. With everyone of you fighting your bravest and your hardest we can win this war!" He exclaimed, thrusting his hand high into the air.

"Now, I'm going to turn it over to General White, who will outline the basic plan of our attack."

Snow stepped up to where Prince Charming had been standing. She greeted everyone with her warm smile and dazzling eyes. Her black hair swished around her pale skin.

"Good evening. Before I begin, I want to address a growing issue which I'm sure many of you have heard of. Urban Scarlet Hand members have started to attack harmless humans. Yes, many murders have taken place. This problem is escalating at an alarming rate. Which means we need to nip it in the bud. Which brings me to the next subject. Our attack. We must have a quick attack and a strong attack. It is our only hope to stop the Scarlet Hand in one battle."

"Our plan is simple. It will be a three prong attack lead by our strongest, biggest fighters who will storm the Scarlet Hand headquarters. Our weaker and smaller fighters will come in next. We will have the element of surprise on our attack. Hopefully, none of the fighters will be armed or prepared and we can take down a large portion of their army. Next, Goldilocks will lead the animals in and attack from the rear. With this position, we might be able to penetrate into the Master's inner forces. Tomorrow we shall split into three groups. Group A, group B, and group C. Any questions?" Snow asked.

The room lay still and quiet. No one raised there hand. Snow White nodded her head and returned to her seat in the audience. Prince Charming then stood up again and addressed the army once more. By the end of his short speech the entire camp had stood up and thrust their hands in the air. They were eager for another fight.

* * *

It was cool and dark in the tent. The flap was moving slightly from the breezy wind. The sun shone in the tiny crack, but other than that the tent was still and dark. Veronica Grimm could just make out the bare outline of Daphne Grimm. Her daughter, her daughter who was still asleep and wouldn't wake. Veronica Grimm wanted to scream in annoyance; she had put on a mask of bravery in front of everyone but to tell the truth she was as scared as a chicken. What if her daughter never woke up? What if someone got hurt or injured and died? What if the Scarlet Hand won? What would become of them? Where was Bunny? The questions swarmed around her mind like sharks in a fish-tank. She couldn't sleep because of them. She barely ate anything. She got headaches more often than not. But she had to be strong; be strong for her family.

Sabrina would never realize it, but she had a lot more common with her mom than anyone in the family. Sabrina Grimm always believed that she was the only one in the entire world who thought the way she did. But she was wrong. Veronica Grimm was more like Sabrina than she would ever realize.

It was Veronica Grimm, though, who wept bitterly by her daughter's side. She cried tears of remorse, fear, and frustration. She leaned in to see Daphne's face more clearly and one of her tears ran down her nose and drop onto Daphne's face.

The effect was immediate; Daphne eyes flashed open. She gave a short, grunted breath before breathing in deeply once more. She sat up and looked around, though her eyes weren't adjusted to the light and she couldn't see very far.

"Whoa-" Daphne Grimm started. . .

* * *

A/N: Oh Em Geezy! I am so extremely sorry to not update in forever. I have had so much going on. We've had Theme Exams all this week and it is so hard! I passed all of my tests though with flying colors and got all over nineties! Whoo hoo!

**IMPORTANT! READ! Anyway, I was thinking that Daphne needed to come back with a whole new word from Daphne's ever-growing vocabulary. So, I'm asking my wonderful, wonderful reviewers to give me a word that is not already in the English dictionary that you think Daphne should say. In your review just give me the word, it's meaning, and you're feedback to this chapter and this Fanfic! PM me if you have any questions.**


	7. VII

7

With her sword clenched tightly in her hand, Sabrina darted forward. The figure did a three-sixty spin and she moved quickly to the side. Using her other hand, Sabrina blocked the flailing limbs of the figure and moved her sword, missing her target by merely inches. She circled the figure once more, backing up a few steps. The target circled around and Sabrina saw an opening. She moved forward and thrusted her sword deep into the straw belly of the figure.

"Grimm - is a dummy to hard for you?" Puck asked snidely.

"_Please_," snorted Sabrina.

Puck pulled out his wooden sword and his limbs tightened in a fighting stance. "Ready?"

"I was born ready." Sabrina pulled her sword from the belly of the dummy and positioned herself adjacent from Puck. The couple began to circle each other holding their weapons a few feet in front of them. A minute elapsed and neither of them had made a move. It was Puck, though, who, shortly after the minute mark, moved his sword, kicked, and scratched. Sabrina blocked most of his motions and dug her sword deep into his belly. Puck cried out, not in pain, but in humiliation. His face was now bright red and he became more eager to win the fight. He circled faster, calculating in his head what his next move should be. He looked for an opening but Sabrina kept her guard up. Suddenly, without warning, Sabrina swept Puck - a short motion with her legs that literally knocked his legs out from under him. Lying on the ground and moaning in pain, Sabrina began to prod Puck with her sword. He looked up, his face now bright purple, his eyes a dull black, and his ears smoking. He looked mad. His wings shot out and he leapt several yard in the air before shooting back down. He landed on his feet and turned towards Sabrina.

"Stinkpot! You fight like a girl!" Puck exclaimed, angrily.

"You should know!"

"What does that mean?"

"What do you _think_ it means?"

Daphne skipped up to the fuming kids, happy to be awake. Her expression softened and she bit her palm and squealed at the same time. "Aw. . . that is _so_ Puckabrina!"

Sabrina and Puck's face both turned redder than a tomato.

* * *

Lunch was served outside of the mess-hall in a grassy knoll near the perimeter of the camp. There were several large trees that shaded the picnic. Blankets and sheets had been spread out on the grass and nearly every Everafter in the camp was sitting and enjoying lunch. Lunch was spread out on tables near by.

The Grimm family had already claimed a blanket space and were now sitting and eating. Sabrina leaned black and closed her eyes, soaking the warm sunlight and enjoying every minute of the peace. As she opened her eyes, she looked around her surroundings for what felt like the first time. This wasn't the Ferryport Landing she had first arrived at. No, it was something wholly different. This was her home. And, sitting beside her, was her family. Her real family. Her mother and father, her sister, Red, Mr. Canis, Uncle Jake, and Puck. She felt a pang in her heart as she remembered the one family member she was missing - Granny Relda.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Veronica asked, squeezing the blonde girl's hand softly.

Sabrina nodded and smiled. She stuck her fork into one of the foods on her plate and ate hungrily. Something inside her bubbled and she felt happy. Really extremely happy.

"Dogface, is there something wrong with you? You look. . . happy." Puck commented rudely, digging into his meal with as much vigor as normal.

"Yeah, 'Brina, you look different," Daphne said. Red nodded her head in agreement. Even Uncle Jake nodded.

Sabrina sneered and snarled at Puck. "Is that a crime?"

Puck's face turned bright red as he fumbled for a reply. Finding none, Sabrina rolled her eyes and took another bite of her stale bread. She took her knife and spread another load of butter on it, taking another bite, and sinking back into the shade of the tree.

Soon, the children finished their lunch.

"Mom! Can we go explore the forest?" Daphne begged.

"It's to dangerous, sweetie." Veronica sang. Daphne crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"Please, mom," asked Sabrina.

"Honey-" Veronica began.

"I'll take them. Don't worry, they'll be fine," Uncle Jake said and the children grinned happily. Veronica and Henry looked cautious but finally gave in.

* * *

Uncle Jake lead the small group through the thick woods. Sabrina was behind him, then Puck, followed by Red and Daphne. Uncle Jake had several magical trinkets at the ready - prepared for any dangerous creature that might spring an attack.

"Look, Daphne, do you know what that is?" Uncle Jake asked. Uncle Jake pointed to several drops of a thick, silver substance. Daphne moved closer to the liquid and moved her hands just over the substance. Sabrina did the same, but pulled her hand back immediately as she felt a strong tingling feeling that came over her.

"It's magical," Daphne commented, moving back.

"It's unicorn's blood." Uncle Jake took out a small vile and scooped a few drops into it. "Might come in useful some day."

"Uncle Jake, you're very smarticlyish," Daphne commented.

"He's what?" Sabrina asked.

"Smarticylish - _extremely_ smart, like a dictionary!" Daphne replied.

The group continued on. Every time they passed something unusual, Uncle Jake would explain what it was.

Fifteen minutes later, the group was in the deep woods. The sunlight had been completely blocked out by the thick foliage. The group twisted their way through thick tree trunks and thin trails. Red spotted several series of animal tracks. Uncle Jake told her that they were _Elk_ tracks, a type of moose commonly found in New York state.

"I think we should head back," Sabrina said.

"Yeah, they're probably wondering were we are," Uncle Jake added.

"Uncle Jake. . . do _we_ know were we are?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah, Squirt, we're, uh, _somewhere_," Uncle Jake said looking around, worried.

"Okay. . . the important thing is we don't panic!" Uncle Jake added.

Suddenly, a large group of small moose stampeded through the trees.

"_Aaaaagggghhhhh_!" Daphne screamed. Uncle Jake grabbed Daphne and Red and ran through the trees, out of the way of the stampeding creatures. Puck picked Sabrina up by her shoulders and flapped his wings until they were high above the creatures. Once the creatures were out of sight, Puck and Sabrina alighted into a tree.

"Where's Daphne and Red and Uncle Jake?" Sabrina asked, suddenly worried. She looked around frantically but saw no sight of them.

Puck mumbled something and Sabrina rolled her eyes but smiled.

Sabrina stopped smiling and looked into Puck's green eyes. His face was covered in dirt and a few other things Sabrina didn't like to think about. His hair was crisp and dry and coated in dust. A pink worm wriggled around in his hair. He was wearing his dirty green hoody and too-short jeans. Puck stared back into her icy blue eyes. The corners of his dried, chapped lips turned into a small smile. Sabrina smiled softly.

Then Sabrina blinked and Puck yawned and the moment was lost.

"C'mon, we should probably head back to the camp. I bet Uncle Jake is already on his way there," Sabrina suggested. Puck nodded and he picked Sabrina up by her arm and lifted her up over the treetops. They circled around a few times until Puck spotted the camp and he flapped his wings and lifted them higher and gained speed. Only a few minutes, and Sabrina and Puck landed and were safe on the ground. Veronica hugged Sabrina tenderly.

"Are Uncle Jake and Daphne and Red back yet?" Sabrina asked.

"They just arrived. They're cleaning up lunch now." Veronica exclaimed, hugging Puck lightly.

* * *

Sabrina sat on her cot. Her cold legs were covered with her blankets. Behind Sabrina, sat Daphne, who was brushing her hair, a habit the young girl had when she was worried. Sabrina yawned sleepily. There was only a small candle who's wick was almost diminished illuminating the two girls. Several sleeping forms were in the cots next to theirs.

"Sabrina, I'm scared," Daphne said.

Sabrina nodded, swallowing. Sabrina turned around and Daphne dropped the hairbrush. Sabrina hugged her little sister. "I'm scared, too," she whispered into her shoulder. Sabrina felt something wet drop on her and realized Daphne was crying onto her shoulder. She sat up again and wiped away her tears.

"Everything's going to be all right," said Sabrina. Daphne nodded. "I promise." The little girl nodded and got up from the bed. She was wearing light blue pajamas. She walked over to the cot next to Sabrina's and got in.

"Goodnight," Sabrina whispered.

"Goodnight, 'Brina," Daphne said, she then blew out the candle and the two girls were soon swept into blackness.

* * *

"Master - we are set to attack in two days." Nottingham commented. He closed the door to the study. It was dark and he could barely make out the thin outline of a figure in a solid chair. The figure was that of a squat old woman.

"We will not attack," a deep voice commanded.

"_Huh_?" the Queen of Hearts asked.

"That was a ruse. I have heard news that our plan has spread to the Grimm's camp. We will now wait for them. We will be ready for them. We will defeat them." the voice said powerfully.

"Their army is powerful, Master. We can't sit here and wait for them like sitting ducks."

"But our army is more powerful. And we've got the higher ground. Do not doubt my plan," the voice said. Heart and Nottingham looked worried but the Master silenced their doubts.

"I am tired," the Master continued, "Go, leave me in peace."

The pair left the room reluctantly and Mirror faded into sleep.

* * *

_A/N: Ha-ha! Okay, well I have to thank my wonderful reviewers for giving me awesome word ideas. I would especially like to shout-out to THE AWESOME ONE, my friend who we will now call "Iz the Whiz" - I just made that up, but it's catchy. And THIRTY REVIEWS! You guys are amazing._

_For all you Harry Potter fans you'll notice my Harry Potter reference (the Unicorn blood). . . who's excited about the new HP movie? I know I am! _

_ Anyway, sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER but I have been celebrating major time. I went to a karate tournament and I fought a black belt and a brown belt (because there was no one in my category) and I got FIRST AND FIRST! _

_ In other news, for the past three days I have been on a camping trip with my school. Yeah, my school is really weird. Not just weird. Really weird. We go camping like five times per school year. Anyway, it was actually pretty fun but it was disgusting because there are no showers and we're stuck in a small portion of land in super hot desert with your entire class for three days. And we're not allowed to bring anything tech-related, besides a camera. _

_ Besides that I've just been really, really, really lazy. _

_Oh! And before I forget; I've been reading through my story and I've realized it doesn't make that much sense. Well it does, but it doesn't run smoothly. Plus, there are some corrections that are bugging the living crap out of me. So, after I am completely done with it I am going to go back and edit every chapter, make sure it runs smoothly, and add in characters (namely Red and Elvis who I completely forgot about! Oops. . .). So, even after the Epilogue be on the lookout for The Final Battle and REVIEW!_

**REVIEWS = Updates!**


	8. VIII

_Author's Note: Let's not talk about how long it's been... moving on..._

_

* * *

_

8

The figure - half beast, half man - surveyed the edge of the town. A thicket of twisted trees was closest to him framed by tall wiry grass that was home to rodents and mites. The figure stood, not flinching as the tall grass brushed up against his legs as it swayed in the breeze. His legs were bare and his feet donned only sandals. His dark black eyes showed fierce emotion and his eyebrows twitched - though, only slightly, as if his emotions were being contained.

The clearing was silent. Every ounce of life that had inhabited the glade had gone; the only inhabitants now were the peculiar man, the trees, and the grass. He took a step forward, his first movement in several minutes. But his action was stopped by an invisible force. A force that was far stronger than him. He took a step back, not looking pained, and stepped forward again. This time, though, the force he exerted on the invisible shield was so great that he flew down to the ground. His anger began to rise as he picked himself off of the ground and ran, trying to break whatever was blocking his path.

The figure spent the next few minutes repeating the process, each time failing. He found himself on the ground, panting only slightly, his skin still brazen, a few moments after the process had started. He was just standing up when a huge net was flown over his head. A tingling sensation crept through his finger tips, all the way up to his arms and through him; inside of him. He laughed, as he pushed his arms so that the net would break; but it didn't. The net, with a strength that was almost unimaginable, contained the figure, much to its dismay.

He looked around wildly, realizing that the dell was now occupied with what looked like people but, on a second glance, were figures with faces and limbs of a person but the midsection of a playing card. They had surrounded him, one of them carrying the tail of the net. They began to march through the clearing; the opposite direction of the curious, invisible shield. At first, he attempted to withstand the playing cards, but the net forced him to move with them.

He was a captive, for better or for worse.

* * *

Sabrina looked down at the large wooden platter covered in under-cooked eggs, stale toast, and a slice of bacon. The smell wafting up from the plate was enough to make Sabrina's insides curdle and she wanted to pinch her nose to keep the odor from making it's way into her nostrils. She was seriously considering if it was a wise idea to put the Munchkins, from the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in charge of the cooking. The queer-looking little people who were not as big as the grown folk Sabrina was used to seeing but weren't quite small were nearly blind and had no sense of smell or proportion. The reactions of the food they served was almost horrifying. It almost made Sabrina wish that Granny Relda was cooking her exotic foods in the kitchen. Almost.

Sabrina pushed her plate away, nauseated. She watched helplessly as Puck and Daphne ate everything but the utensils. Their ridiculous appetites were nearly laughable. But it wasn't just the nauseating food that had caused Sabrina's loss of appetite:

_ One day. One day was all, then the attack. _Sabrina chanted it in her head.

She turned and looked around, observing the rest of the Grimm's expressions:

Uncle Jake was looking depressed; Briar Rose's death had been the biggest blow to the Grimm family thus far, besides Granny Relda's body being taken over by Mirror, and Sabrina was almost positive that there were bigger blows to come. Much, _much_ bigger. His face was a pasty white color, tinged only with a slight green. Dark black circles were found under his eyes, as if he hadn't been sleeping in weeks.

Veronica looked tired as well, though she had tried to cover the fact up with some concealer and a not-to convincing smile. Her hair was still askew and her eyes looked sad. She was sipping a mug of black coffee out of a hand-made demitasse. Her plate was empty and Sabrina suspected that her breakfast was the culprit of her slightly-green hue.

Henry Grimm looked anything but happy. A thousand expressions raked his features. He looked sad, depressed, mad, angry, indignant, vexed. The list went on and on. He, almost as much as his brother, looked tired. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and an unusual skin tone.

Daphne was a marvel, Sabrina thought. After everything that had gone wrong, Daphne was looking cheerful. A smile that went from ear-to-ear was plastered on her face, which, in turn, was radiating a golden hue. Her hair was put into her customary braids and her bangs were askew. She was wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans.

Red was hiding behind Daphne with an appearance of fright. She didn't look worried or scared or sad - like the other Grimms - she looked anxious. Sabrina was still uneasy about being near the only-just recovered mental patient. She smiled weakly at the young girl before letting her eyes skim over the last Grimm present at the table:

Puck.

Puck was being. . . well, Puck was being Puck. His visage was covered in saliva-encased crumbs from his recently devoured breakfast. He was now sitting back in his seat and attempting to beat his previous record for _'burps-in-a-row.' _

"Stinkpot, knock it off!" Sabrina called over to him. Puck sat up, smirked and burped one last time for effect.

"Does my immaturity bother you, dog-face?" he asked smugly.

"Yes. . . it does. . ." she finished lamely. She stuck out of her tongue which resulted in a big, wet raspberry from Puck. She grimaced and Puck sniggered once more.

"You ought to respect me more, Grimm! After all, I'm royalty! You should be kissing my feet!"

"I would rather kiss a. . ." she looked around wildly, ". . . a frog than kiss your feet!"

"Better watch out Grimm - the frog's probably better looking than yourself!"

"You're one to talk! You look like the other end of a horse!"

"You look like you _ate_ the other end of a horse!"

"Takes one to know one!"

"Will you two quit your lover's spat? Charming's trying to tell us something important and we can't hear over your '_argument_!'" she said, putting air-quotes around the word _argument_. Sabrina blushed before sticking her tongue out at her sister.

She then looked around, realizing that the table was nearly twice as occupied as it had been before - Prince Charming was sitting next to an-even-more-annoyed Henry with Snow on his other side. He had his arm wrapped around her waist. Two of the three little pigs were across from them, wolfing down as much of the breakfast as they could without turning into a pig - their alter-ego, one might call it, that they turned into when they got excited. Sitting next to them was Mr. Canis, looking just as bony as usual. And on the opposite side of the table sat Robin Hood and Little John.

"I see you two are on speaking terms again," Henry muttered awkwardly, noting Prince Charming's arm wrapped tightly around Snow's waist and vice versa. Snow blushed before nodding.

"Well, we're still just taking it slow - meeting for coffee every other morning," she said. Sabrina looked around, wondering how on earth you could meet for coffee every other morning with the whispers of war surrounding the camp. She then saw Snow point to a two-person table with a ceramic, hand-made vase resting atop it bearing a single red rose. When Sabrina noticed Snow holding a mug similar to her mother's she realized they weren't meeting for '_coffee_', per say, as to meeting to the thick black liquid every grown-up Everafter had each morning. Sabrina once, out of curiousity, took a sip from her mother's mug and nearly spit it out. She had had coffee before, courtesy of Uncle Jake, but the liquid in the cup was far worse. It was bitter and hot and tasted something of sweaty animals - a liquid that her body had had to reject.

Looking up, Sabrina saw Puck eyeing her and wiggling his eyebrows, then the pointing to the secluded table, smirking.

"In your dreams, horse-breath!" she muttered.

Prince Charming then went on to explain what was going to happen the rest of the day - the final training of the troops, distributing armor and weaponry, etc. . . Sabrina felt adrenaline pour into her veins just because of the idea of attacking. Sabrina pulled a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. She rubbed her arms together, letting her fingers tangle up in themselves. Yes she was nervous, high-strung, anxious, tense, edgy, jumpy, skittish, worried, apprehensive, on-edge, stressed, agitated, restless, worked-up. She was all of those things. But she was also excited. Excited because she would finally be able to get her revenge on the people who had taken her parents away from her, had taken her grandmother away from her. Had taken _everything_ away from her.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly. Sabrina trained harder and faster than she had ever done before. As did the rest of the camp. A rippling change went through each Everafter and Grimm - gone were the fearful refugees and out came the warriors anticipating a fight. Even Red, as nervous as she normally was, had come to train and help train Everafters with magical weapons.

The sun had gone up, reached it's high-point in the sky, and dropped so now the big floating orb was only illuminating a feeble light as dusk approached the camp.

Inside of the Grimm tent, persons ran from one point to the other in a frantic frenzy. Sabrina stood at the edge of her bed, itching her collar and wanting to be anywhere but there. Daphne stood next to her, smiling widely and enjoying the feeling of being clean and in nice clothing. Red stood next to her nervously, as always.

"Mom, _why_ do we have to dress nicely? They're just addressing the camp?" Sabrina whined, tugging on the collar of her dress which was seemingly closing up around her neck. She scratched her back as she walked around the tent uncomfortably. She had talked her mom into letting her sport her tennis shoes but Veronica had insisted that she don a dress.

"Like I said before, Snow asked me to have everyone dressed nicely. It's kind of a. . . special occasion! Think of it as a school pep rally before a big football game!" Veronica said enthusiastically.

"Mom, honestly, I haven't been to any pep rallies but I am almost positive people don't wear dresses to them!" Sabrina retorted. Veronica just smiled and continued putting the finishing touches on the three girls before retreating into Snow's tent to change her clothing.

* * *

The mess-hall was a multitude of lights and colors swirling underneath a clear dark blue sky. Everyone seemed to be happy - the air was warm and light and floated around in spiraling breezes that carried smells of cinnamon and pine trees through the camp. The sky was lightened by thousands of twinkling stars and a yellow globe that floated through the night sky like a balloon - the moon. Every Everafter that had entered the camp as a fugitive had come out to join in the celebrations. Most wore their nicest clothing. Beauty was wearing a huge yellow dress with a hoop-skirt, adorned with thousands of cadmium flowers. The fabric was soft and luscious, like butter, as it skirted the floor - floating like a cloud. Prince Charming was wearing a dark purple suit and a dark green tie that spelled fancy. He reeked of cologne and his dark locks had been slicked back with a pound of hair-gel. Snow was at his side wearing a simple blue dress that ended just at her knees. She was modeling a light, white sweater over her frock. She, too, reeked of perfume - though, her perfume was of lighter quality - it smelled like honey suckle and rose petals and cinnamon. Sabrina also noticed Hansel and Gretel, two of the little pigs, Mr. Canis, all of the Merry Men, Robin Hood, Rapunzel, and several other Everafters all wearing traditional, fairy-tale garb.

Even Puck had been dressed up - though, Sabrina was sure that the nice clothing he was donning was put on against his will. He was wearing a rugby T-shirt and dark blue jeans, the likes of which Sabrina hadn't seen before. It was peculiar seeing Puck not wearing his infamous green hoodie and too-short jeans.

Sabrina, with Daphne, Puck, and Red by her side, began the short trek to the mess-hall. Sabrina was anticipated to see what would be going on - it _was_ kind of like a celebration, one of the only proper celebrations Sabrina had attended.

The mess-hall was practically a very, _very_ large tent. The flaps of the tent waved in the soft breeze as Sabrina entered the marquee. The mess-hall normally occupied several long, hastily-built tables that ran from one long end to the other. But now, probably with the assistance of magic, the tables had been cleared to the corners of the room and a huge space had been emptied. A small dais had been set up near the back of the tent housing a cramped podium.

Nearer to the front, a small table had set up. A pale man with skin that had almost a greenish hue - more commonly known as the Frog Prince - was sitting on a stool that had been pulled up to the table. The table held an ancient looking record-player and a stack of equally-antiquated-looking records.

The children walked closer to the stage - a large group of Everafters were already loitering around the platform. Snow and Charming were standing behind the podiums, smiling brightly. Henry, Veronica, Uncle Jake, and Mr. Canis sauntered in behind the children, excited to hear the rousing speech.

Several minutes later, the mess-hall was filled with Everafters and people alike - though, mainly Everafters. Sabrina hardly had enough room to breathe - let alone stand. She felt the nauseating sensation of claustrophobia as she was pushed to the front, pushed from the sides, and pushed back from the back. Daphne and Red weren't fairing much better. Puck, on the other hand, was having the time of his life - whenever he was pushed, he would push back the culprit harder, having a domino effect.

It took several moments, but finally Snow and Charming had managed to quiet the loud herd. Snow spoke first - she declared first the attack that was to be held tomorrow, she then went on to thank every Everafter (and Grimm) for risking their lives for the wellbeing of the town. Snow was looking extremely beautiful, the lanterns that were bobbing around the ceiling without any support cast a golden hue on her pale white face. Sabrina was almost positive that every man - excluding Puck - couldn't take their eyes off of her. She also noticed Prince Charming sending death-glares to most of the males in the audience.

Once Snow had finished her introductory speech, she walked off of the stage and retreated into the crowds, welcoming Prince Charming to speak at the podium. He swaggered up and began speaking - he wore a smug expression as he explained the attack once more to the crowd.

Without warning, Sabrina felt a pointy jab in her shoulder - as if someone was poking her with something sharp and spiky. She turned around quickly, coming face-to-face with Baba Yaga. She was so shocked she couldn't speak, besides the smell that was wafting off of the old woman that caused her to keep her mouth shut and breathe shallower. Baba Yaga wore a deranged expression - she was angry and Sabrina hoped to God that it wasn't because of her. With a hooked finger, she motioned for Sabrina to follow her. Sabrina looked around, her parents hadn't noticed the old hag and she didn't think the other Everafters really cared. One more look at the old hag's features and Sabrina realized she had no choice - if she shook her head '_no_' she might very well be hexed into all eternity.

She followed the witch through the sea of Everafters but not before her exit was noticed by Puck and Daphne who began tagging along at her heels.

"What are you doing?" Daphne asked.

"Absolutely no idea," Sabrina replied as the crow led them out of the mess-hall and through the rows and rows of dark tents. The camp was now extremely expansive and it took several minutes to get to the gate. Once the children and the witch had reached the gate - which stood open, towering fifty feet over their heads - they were all out of breathe. Sabrina could hear one last, final '_hoorah_' and loud music began to play.

Outside of the camp was dark and the twisted trees that were the forest seemed to be haunted. Sabrina had never really liked the acres and acres of forestland that Ferryport Landing was home to and she _especially_ didn't like them at night. She felt Daphne's shivering hand slip into her own and she squeezed it soothingly.

Baba Yaga beckoned once more and they followed her out of the camp. There was something near the camp walls but Sabrina could only make out the silhouette - it was a house shape but it stood several yards higher than the ground on what appeared to be chicken feet - Baba Yaga had brought her house to them.

Baba Yaga beckoned them one last time to the house and Sabrina followed almost unwillingly. The door stood, rusted on its hinges. The inside of the house reeked of dead animal and blood - Sabrina remembered all the work they had done to restore the house to livable conditions and she wondered how on earth Baba Yaga could have messed up her house so fast. Baba Yaga took out a wand and said a few words, illuminating the tip. She pointed it to the open cavity of the house - the open door. Sabrina felt her draw drop as she saw the inside of the house.

"What the. . ."

"Oh my. . ."

"Fudge."

* * *

_Another Author's Note: Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed - NINE REVIEWS, wOw, you guys are awesome! Let's get to fifty reviews before the next chapter, OK?_

**Reviews=UPDATES**


	9. IX

9

Sabrina knew that Baba Yaga's house was decrepit and, even after hours and hours of cleaning, it would always, always look decrepit - at least from the outside. The single shutter was still hanging by a single nail, its paint peeling off and the wood decaying. The crumbling sawlogs that had been constructed into the small cottage were decomposing and rotting - the roof looked like the balding spot on an elderly man, housing only a few, threadbare shingles.

But what Sabrina found scary was the inside of the house. With a withered, wizened hand extended in which held a long wand, tip illuminated, Baba Yaga displayed the inside of her humble home. The inside that Sabrina, Puck, and Daphne had cleaned until it was sparkling and spotless only a few days prior. The inside that was _once_ clean.

But it wasn't anymore. The couch was now moth-eaten and singed in several places, not to mention it was turned over on its side. Some kind of sticky substance had been splattered on the floor, the wall, and the ceiling. It was glowing green and smelled like oranges. A couple of broken chairs, plaster from the walls, and several thick tomes had been strewed across the floor. The rugs were crumpled up. There were several nicks on the wall. The door seemed to be blown completely off of its hinges. It reeked of sour, curdled milk and rotten strawberries.

But the scariest thing to Sabrina was the blood-red handprint on the wall of the house. The mark of the Scarlet Hand.

Daphne pinched her nose and groaned, while Puck muttered, "This is _awesome_ pranking material!"

Sabrina rolled her eyes before turning to the aged hag, "What. . . what happened?" she asked quizzically. She felt somewhat like her grandmother asking for clues. Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, she almost mimed rifling through a purse in search of her grandmother's trusty notepad and pen. Almost.

"I went to sleep last night, as normal. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I woke up around three o'clock to hear the sound of scraping metal - as if a car was being braked outside of my house. Naturally, I went to see who the ignorant trespasser was who had ignored all of the signs posted outside of my house. There was no one there. I looked out of the door once. Twice. Three times. No one was there. I went back to sleep after a period, making sure that there was, in fact, no one there."

"At five o'clock, the scraping noise sounded once more. I was angry, by this time, and I huffed out of bed to find nothing there. I went back inside, searched the house this time, to find that no one had entered my cottage. I went to sleep. When I woke up I felt very hot and very light-headed. It was nearing nine o'clock in the morning, or so that is what I guessed for I felt dizzy and queasy and it was becoming hard to read. I went in search of the only thing that would wake me up."

"What? Was it some magical brew?" Daphne asked in awe.

"No, ignorant child! Coffee. Anyway, I took out a pot and placed it on the stove. I was just about to turn the burner on when I fumbled, realizing that it was already on. Someone had turned on the gas. Someone who wanted me dead. Someone from the Scarlet Hand who wanted me dead. And I would have been, if I had not wanted the one thing that would wake me up. Coffee. But, as you can see before you, if they wanted me dead it would be only to easy. Why would they go to the trouble of wrecking my house? The answer is simple; they were looking for something. And they found it. The book that Bunny gave me - about Mirror and such things - is missing."

"But. . . why would they want that? I mean, don't they want to keep Mirror _inside_ Granny Relda?" Daphne asked.

"I think they want us not to find out how to get Mirror out of Granny Relda's body. I mean, that's why they kidnapped Bunny, anyway. If she was around, as in not safely locked up in the Scarlet Hand's hideout, she would be able to help us destroy Mirror and save Granny Relda," Sabrina explained.

"_Sabrina! Daphne! Puck!_" Veronica exclaimed, a hint of anger showing in her voice. She appeared just as Baba Yaga closed the door to her house with a flick of her wand.

"There you are!" She declared, relief gushing from her throat.

"Oh, uh, hey mom," Sabrina said, bowing her head in shame as Veronica Grimm put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot expectantly.

"What were you doing?" she asked, her voice now thick with anger.

"Well. . . um, Baba Yaga -" Sabrina began, but Daphne interjected.

"Someone from the Scarlet Hand tried to kill Baba Yaga last night - they stole the book about Mirror and how to stop him," Daphne pointed to the red hand on the wall of the house, "We were okay."

"So, you go outside at night alone with a cannibalistic witch in the time of guerilla warfare? That sound _okay_ to you?" But Daphne and Sabrina didn't even have time to respond. Baba Yaga drew herself up to her full height, which wasn't very high, and stepped closer to Veronica.

"What are you insinuating?" she croaked angrily, her eyes flashing red and burning with disgust.

"Nothing, old mother," Veronica said unflinchingly. She turned to the three children, "Go back to the tent and go straight to bed -" turning back to Baba Yaga she cleared her throat and asked, "Did Daphne say that someone from the Scarlet Hand tried to _kill_ you?"

Baba Yaga merely nodded her head and Veronica continued. "Well, seeing as the Scarlet Hand believes you will be staying in your house again tonight, they might come back and try to finish the deed. Why don't you stay in the camp, at least for tonight?" Veronica offered.

Reluctantly, Baba Yaga accepted and sent her house back to its original plot.

* * *

"Mom! We've all been training! We have to fight in this war - I have to fight in this war! Dad, I want to stop Mirror! I want to save Granny Relda! I want to help, I want to fight alongside the Everafters!" Sabrina shouted angrily. Her face was red, a deep contrast to her blonde hair and blue pajamas. Daphne stood alongside her, though she looked remarkably calmer than her older sibling.

"I understand that, dear, but we're not like Everafters - we're not immortal and we don't live forever! Besides, you're only kids! You can't go to war!" Henry retorted.

"What would Granny Relda do? You know she would fight with the Everafters, no matter what! It wouldn't matter to her if she wasn't an Everafter or if she wasn't immortal! She would fight with them and help them win!" Daphne blurted out.

"Your grandmother was incredibly older and wiser - she knew what she was up against and she was prepared. You, however, are not!" Veronica exclaimed angrily.

"Mom, we're not five years old any more! Granny Relda trained us, she taught us how to fight and she taught us how to escape! Dad, Mom - Daphne is as good with magic as Uncle Jake. If he can fight, so can we!"

"Your Uncle Jake is an exception - he's fighting for a. . . different reason." Henry said, the vein on his forehead pulsing and throbbing mechanically.

They all knew what the '_different_ _reason_' was, though no one cared to admit it. It was still hard for Sabrina to imagine that Briar Rose was gone. . . dead, buried in the ground. But she knew that she wouldn't be the first and, as tough a fact it was to admit it, she would have to.

"Mom, Dad, if you were us would you want to fight? If you were in our shoes would you be arguing that you were prepared and read for the battle!" Both Henry and Veronica regretfully nodded their heads. "It's the same thing! Mom, Dad, we're ready for the war and we're willing to fight it, whatever the outcome," Daphne explained.

"Okay. . . you may fight the war on one condition! You have to stick to your mother and me, no matter what! You must listen to everything we say - everything!" Henry said. Veronica looked at him, shocked, like he had grown two more heads.

"Are you crazy, Henry?" she asked, punching him in the arm with anger and bewilderment.

"Possibly," was his only reply before searching for the door, opening the flap, and leaving the tent. Sabrina and Daphne danced around happily, high-fiving each other and squealing joyfully.

Sabrina went to sleep bubbling with excitement, anticipation, nervousness, and fear.

* * *

The sun lifted itself from behind the looming-pine-tree-veil as it normally did. The sky was a mixture of blues, oranges, reds, and pinks. It looked like a watercolor and Sabrina, if given the choice, would stare at it all morning long. A dew had been spread over everything and anything. It was cold, but not freezing, the chilly air wafting around the camp. Wrapped up in her thick, leathern armor, Sabrina followed Puck, Daphne, Veronica, Henry, and Uncle Jake into the armory. She was given a long-handled bow that was tucked neatly on her back. A long, glinting sword that she had wielded several times before and found to be easy to use and maneuverable had been put in her sheath and a shorter dagger for more precarious positions tucked in her belt. Her sister and Puck had been given similar weapons, though her sister also had several magical trinkets on her person and Puck had opted for his wooden sword instead of a metal one.

The armory was crowded, every Everafter getting their appointed weapons. Once prepared, Sabrina began to shake with fear and anticipation. All happy thoughts of winning the war were behind her as she realized the huge, impossible mission that loomed in front of her. Daphne, despite her usual bubbly-self, was serious and Sabrina slipped her hand into Daphne's, squeezing it soothingly. Puck, on the other hand, was completely and totally engrossed with trying to hit people on top of the head with his sword. Sabrina had already been whacked on her noggin five times when she was put into her marching position alongside her parents, Daphne, Puck, and Uncle Jake. They were in the back of the herd of Everafters, as they were in the third prong attack - they were going to follow Goldilocks and her animal army after twenty minutes, once the signal had been displayed. Then, they were going to sneak into the back and stop the Scarlet Hand at the root of the problem - Mirror.

Sabrina felt her breath hitch as the gates opened wide and they began to march. She tried to breathe deeply, but she hyperventilated instead. She felt encouraging smiles and thumbs up all around her but suddenly everything seemed so much bigger. Every minuscule detail seemed to multiply times a thousand - a mosquito bite on her arm felt like she was being burned by an ever-growing flame. The slight pressure on her lungs had been transformed into an anvil bearing down and crushing her ribs. She felt like she was suffocating. _Why on earth did I have to want to fight?_ She asked herself. But it was to late, she had passed the gate and they were beginning to close.

* * *

The Queen of Hearts ran through the twisting corridors until she found the right wooden door. Sheriff Nottingham followed a few yards from her, not quite as eager and pale in the face. He had just seen Atticus down in the dungeons and even he found him to be terrifying. Heart had opted out of meeting their new guest, for she she was scared of everything and lost her lunch more than once when scared.

Taking a key from inside one of the many folds of her hideous garment, Heart unlocked the door, opened it, and went inside.

The same figure was still sitting in the same chair in the same position, just out of the light that the window let in. Heart rushed in and kneeled on her knees. The figure's eyes opened with a white-hot flash. Heart gulped but began to speak, "We have captured Atticus, Master. Nottingham has just been down to see that he be put into appropriate armor. He will be released on Charming's army when you desire it."

"And what about Charming's army? Have they begun to march yet?" The deep voice bubbled from inside the frail form.

Nottingham cut in, "I have just heard word: they have begun to march and shall be here before noon."

"Excellent. Prepare the army, we fight today."

And the frail figure leaned into the chair and closed his eyes - a sign that the pair were dismissed from his quarters.

* * *

_A/N: Honestly I am really sorry. How long has it been? Three weeks, or something? Really, I had this chapter ready since I wrote the last chapter and I was going to update it when I went on vacation but my parents didn't let me bring my laptop! I was so mad! So don't yell at me, it wasn't my fault! At least now I know exactly what is going to happen in the next chapter which, unfortunately, will be the last chapter of 'The Final Battle'. Can you believe it? I can't, it's so sad! But, I promise you, the next chapter will be epic - it's the battle scene and Mirror is finally destroyed. . . possibly. _

_Anyway, I would like to tell you guys you are officially awesome! 60 reviews! And I only asked for 50! So, who thinks that we can get to 80 reviews before my next update? OK, I'm daring you to get to 80 reviews or I won't update! Happy New Year!_

**20 REVIEWS = UPDATE**


	10. X

10

Dazzling shades of emerald, olive, and jade. The virescent orbs, twinkling in the morning sunlight. Framed by near-invisible eyelashes and pockets of dark skin - appearing as if he hadn't slept in weeks. His dirty blonde hair covering his forehead and - wait, was that a worm wiggling in his fair mop? She bit back a giggle and instead continued to observe the fairy. Every square inch - from his dirt-encrusted green hoody and too-short jeans to his sun-baked skin and sun-bleached hair - she wanted to remember him. She was becoming increasingly distracted by the thought that she might never see him again - anyone else, for that matter - and she frequently looked up at him, and Daphne, and her mom and dad, and Uncle Jake to make sure they were still there.

"Dog-breath, by the way you've been staring at me for the past five minutes with that vacant look - and, is that drool? - I can tell you think I'm incredibly handsome but its getting kind of creepy." Puck interjected, but the malice in his voice had disappeared and his comment sounded weak and half-hearted - like he was joking.

Sabrina blushed, her cheeks becoming tinged with a light pink, and looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry," she muttered quietly.

"Keep it down, you two!" Veronica whispered.

Sabrina tried her best to turn around and look out the small hole in the wall of the once-smoldering building. But, try as she might, she was like a sardine in a sardine can. Puck was pressing tight into one of her sides while Daphne's head was wedged into her other side. Veronica, Uncle Jake, and Henry were in the small huddle, too - trying their best to become invisible behind the panel. The Grimm clan was behind a wall - the one remaining wall in the old Ferryport Landing Elementary school - attempting to hide until their section of the army attacked.

Sabrina felt Daphne wince as a particularly loud explosive went off and destroyed yet another building. Swords clanged, groans of falling warriors sounded, and Sabrina was positive someone was firing a gun. Their side was falling back - the Scarlet Hand's hideout was seemingly impenetrable. Sabrina tensed her body - preparing for an attack.

A dark, murky shadow loomed over the small huddled group - Goldilocks had snuck over and was blocking the harsh sun. Crouching, she leaned in and began to talk in short mutters to Henry, Veronica, and Uncle Jake. A few moments passed and they all nodded. Goldilocks took her leave - a thousand animals following - and began to circle the Hand's headquarters. If a member of the Scarlet Hand attempted to block her progress, she would mutely communicate to the animals to slay them. Veronica, quietly, explained that Goldilocks was going to clear the way so the they could travel relatively safely through the war zone and into the back of the Hand's headquarters. She would give them a signal using a flash light and mirror that Henry had supplied. This relieved Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck who each sighed.

* * *

Sabrina felt adrenaline pound into her system as she crept behind the huge building. Daphne's raspy breathing and Puck's loud footsteps echoed behind her, sounding a million miles away. Henry and Veronica Grimm were behind them, creeping along the side of the building. Then followed Uncle Jake who was rifling through his pockets trying to arm himself with all manner of magical trinkets, wands, etc. Goldilocks had given the signal that the coast was clear and so the Grimm's made their way into the heart of the Scarlet Hand.

The Hand had done a good job of warding off Charming's army but they had forgotten to arm themselves in the back, it seemed, because it was nearly empty. Of course, Sabrina realized that getting into the actually headquarters would be work enough. She expected there to be a convenient door, at the least. But no, all there was was a rickety fire escape that led to an open window three floors up.

Sabrina began to ascend the fire escape. She scaled the wall, getting a foot-hole in a particularly twisted patchy of ivy, before reaching for the ladder to the fire escape. Reaching the first level, she began to climb again, until she reached the second level. The third proved the hardest to reach as the ladder was rusted, wobbly, and missing a nail which resulted in the ladder being uneven. Finally, she managed to reach the third landing and climb into the open window.

She was in a dark room. She could feel Daphne's breath on her shoulder - she had made it into the room as well. Several large clunks later, the Grimm family stood behind Sabrina. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness - though, the open window had helped to illuminate things - and she realized that they were in a filing room, of sorts. Five filing cabinets sat, pressed against the wall. A couple of the drawers had been opened and revealed crumpled, over flowing manilla folders. The floor had been littered with several thin sheets of copier papers. Some housed neat, typed print while others remained blank housing only scribbled words and numbers. Other than that, the room remained quite empty and still. On the far wall sat a closed door. Sabrina crossed the room and turned the doorknob.

But it didn't budge. The door remained firmly squatted in its doorframe.

"Of course, it's locked!" Sabrina exclaimed angrily, though she remembered to keep her voice down.

"It's locked?" Henry asked curiously.

"Yes!" Daphne said exasperatedly.

"Wait a moment, I might have just the thing!" Uncle Jake exclaimed happily. He began to rifle through his coat, rummaging through his many pockets until he found a glinting, golden key.

"Uncle Jake, you have the key to a filing cabinet in the Scarlet Hand's headquarters?"

"Of course not - this little devil is called a Handy-Dandy-Pocket Key."

"A Handy-Dandy-Pocket _Key_?" Puck asked dubiously.

"Yes, it will open most locks as long as they don't have any magical protection. You see, it just molds into the shape of the loc-"

"Can we keep this moving, please?" Veronica asked hastily.

"Uh, yeah, of course!" Uncle Jake muttered before taking the key and shoving it into the lock. Slowly, he turned it and they all heard an audible '_click_.' Sabrina slowly turned the door knob and this time it opened!

She poked her head out of the open doorframe and looked from left to right, and then once more to the left. The coast was clear. She slipped out, followed by Daphne, Puck, Veronica, Henry, and, lastly, Uncle Jake.

"I'll go first, 'Brina, just in case there's something waiting for u-" Uncle Jake began but was interrupted by a loud snorting. Out of one of the adjacent doors, came a creature half-beast, half-man bearing a huge axe and a scarlet red hand emblazoned on his chest. "Fudge."

Sabrina slipped her sword out of her scabbard. Puck's wings were already flapping and he was hovering several feet in the air, bonking the creature on the head. Daphne was using magical trinket after magical trinket - though all they seemed to do was turn the creature's fingers and toes blue. Sabrina came dangerously close to stabbing the creature, but it had stepped out of the way at the last moment. It now approached her and she squealed in fear. "A little help here!" she shrieked. She had hardly finished her sentence when a pair of grubby hands grabbed her shoulders and lifted her out of harm's way just in the nick of time - Puck. Henry and Veronica took it from there and in no time the creature was slumped, unconscious, next to the door.

"Stay behind us from now on," Henry ordered, panting heavily.

Daphne and Sabrina nodded and gulped while Puck, on the other hand, thumped the unconscious beast on the head and giggled like a maniac.

"Get over here, dog-breath," Sabrina growled.

"Coming, sweetheart!" Puck mocked in a high-pitched girly voice.

* * *

The passage through the Hand's headquarters was eerily still and silent. Apart from the occasional Hand member, the whole floor was vacant. An hour after their entrance, they came upon a stairwell leading down. Cautiously, they descended until they reached a corridor quite like the ones on the floor above. But this one was occupied; Sabrina could hear voices coming from around a corner and she fell back behind her parents. She felt Daphne's clammy hand slip into hers, squeeze slightly, and let go.

Slowly, they began to move as a pack down the corridor until they came to the turn. They peeked their heads around the corner and saw around a hundred Scarlet Hand members.

"They're guarding something," Daphne whispered.

"What?" Sabrina asked.

"They're guarding something," Daphne repeated, "Look at they way they're standing, they don't want anyone to get to that door at the very end. That's why there's no one else around - they're all guarding that door. I bet the Master's in there," Daphne guessed.

Sabrina looked shocked at the simple logic her younger sister had applied to the situation - so many thoughts were running through _her_ mind she could hardly add one plus one.

"Okay, we need to come up with a plan," Veronica said, sliding back into the empty corridor.

"Definitely. Got any ideas?" Uncle Jake asked.

No one answered as they each racked their brains for a half-decent plan.

"We could just run in there and attack them and hope to God the element of surprise will be enough to defeat them relatively quickly," Puck stated.

"That could work," Sabrina nodded.

"That plan sounds gravy!" Daphne agreed.

The rest nodded their approval. Sabrina began to arm herself - she held her sword in one hand and her dagger in the other and she made sure her armor was securely on. She then double-checked Daphne's armor while the younger girl rifled through her pockets and grasped every magical trinket she could fit into her sweaty palms. Puck already had his wooden sword at the ready. Henry and Veronica merely held their swords casually - seemingly at ease. Uncle Jake, like Daphne, was clutching several magical trinkets.

"Ready?" Henry asked.

The rest of the group nodded. And they began to sprint down the hall, turning the corner, and crashing headfirst into the throng of Everafters. Using the butt of her blade, Sabrina clubbed as many Everafters as she could. She took around five down before the rest of the Everafters had armed themselves and it suddenly became twenty against one. She noticed that Daphne was in a similar predicament, though she was fairing well as the magic she was using kept them at bay. Puck was floating high above the crowd of Everafters, hitting them on the head hard with the blade of his wooden sword, taking several Everafters down. Veronica and Henry were like two tornadoes - spinning around the hallway and defeating every Everafter that came across their path. Uncle Jake had already taken down twenty Everafters with a flick of his wand and was now dueling with a man Sabrina recognized as Merlin.

Sabrina used a mixture between swordplay and karate - kicking and punching while jabbing her sword in any Everafter that would come close enough. She had taken down around fifteen when she felt her muscles begin to tire. She tried to fight her way through the throng of Everafters that had surrounded her but with each thrust of her sword or punch from her hand she felt her limbs turn more into lead. Suddenly she was being pushed farther back. Glinda the Not-So-Good Witch was standing at the front of the crowd, an evil glare placed upon her features. Glinda continued to stalk up to her until she was only a couple inches from Sabrina. Glinda growled, menacingly, before taking her fist and letting it collide with Sabrina's nose. Sabrina felt blood trickle down from her nose. She was shocked. She stood there gasping. She knew that Glinda wasn't finished with her but she couldn't move, she couldn't defend herself. She backed up another step. Glinda raised her wand so it was equal to her face and began to chant something. Suddenly, she flicked her wand and. . .

"SABRINA!" Puck bellowed.

Sabrina backed up another step. She ducked, the curse that Glinda had aimed at her missing and ricocheting off of the wall - hitting an anonymous Everafter who instantly fell down. Using her dagger, she plunged it into Glinda's stomach. An awful feeling crept up from her stomach as she watched the light leave Glinda's eyes - guilt. But she was already being swept into the sky by Puck for the second time that day. She was out of breath and panting and Puck looked equally as rotten.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fin-" she started but was stopped by Puck's lips crashing into hers. It was a short kiss, but it portrayed what they were feeling - passionate and desperate. They broke apart and looked at each other without the slightest bit of remorse of what they had just done.

They alighted on the ground as Henry and Veronica disposed of the last Everafter, who collapsed on the floor with a low _huff_. Sabrina hugged Daphne quickly. Daphne winked at her, then looked pointedly at Puck. Sabrina blushed, her cheeks becoming very pink.

Without a word, they all ran to the door and tried to the doorknob. It was locked but Uncle Jake pulled out his Handy-Dandy-Pocket Key and quickly unlocked it. They opened the door and entered the room.

It was dark.

Truly dark. The kind of dark that even a knife couldn't cut through. Sabrina couldn't tell who was who, or where she was, or her surroundings.

"Ow!" Daphne breathed as her toe collided with a large object.

"Be careful," Sabrina warned as she used her hands as a compass.

"Do you think they were just guarding an empty room?" Puck asked.

"I guess so, there's no one in here-" Sabrina began but stopped as a lamp flickered on.

Sabrina spun around, taking in her surrounding as she went. She was in a study - or a library, possibly - one of the walls was a bookshelf filled with books. There was a leather couch by a fireplace and a chair. There was a small coffee-table that also housed books. There was a desk and a high-backed chair sitting behind it. And there was a person sitting in the chair.

"Granny Relda." Daphne said - it wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"No," the figure said simply, the voice bubbling and low-pitched. Sabrina jumped at the sound. "I was wondering when I would be seeing you, Grimms, though, I must say, you took much longer than I expected."

Sabrina glared daggers. She couldn't mask her contempt for the. . . _thing_ in front of her. She wanted to jump across the desk and squeeze the last ounce of life out of the figure. But something kept her back.

Suddenly a loud clunking of metal chains was heard from the corner of the room. Sabrina pivoted so as she faced the area where the sound came from. She gasped. Bunny was chained against the wall and gagged, though very much awake. "Ah, yes, my. . . _guest_. I'm sure you know Ms. Bunny Lancaster, my creator. She's a very special guest - a guest of _honor_, you could say," he scoffed, "That's why she is up here with me."

Uncle Jake raced over to the corner and attempted to break the chains. "No, no, no. We mustn't do that, now." And with a flick of his hand Uncle Jake, Puck, Daphne, Veronica, and Henry doubled over in pain.

To Sabrina Grimm it was as if the world was slowly falling around her shoulders. She saw the one sight that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Her family, her loved ones, twitching and breathing raspily, trying to breath in one last breath. Daphne was laying on the ground, writhing in pain. She whispered out one word, "Sabrina," and her eyes closed. Her mother and father were lying helpless, they're bodies moving and twisting as if they had a mind of their own. They're movements and motions were jagged and jerked, as if someone else was controlling them. Uncle Jake was on his knees, crying and weeping bitterly. A tear dropped on the floor, it was a crimson red. Mr. Canis was rasping, his breathing becoming more and more labored. It appeared as if someone was stepping on his chest and squishing him slowly and surely. And then there was Puck. Puck's was the worst. His eyes turned a dull black, they had lost they're luster and twinkle. His face was twisted in agonizing pain. Blood dripped from his crackled lips, his nose, his ears, his eyes, and underneath his fingertips.

And then there was an explosion. It shook the ground and rattled her skull. Part of the study had been blown up and now she could see out into the battlefield. Mirror had stood up from his seat behind the desk and was now close to her, smirking.

"Stop," the one word had a lasting impact. It broke the silence which had been occupied only by the agonized screams of her family. Her voice was dry, all saliva had been drained, her eyes were bloodshot and she wanted to go to sleep dearly, her nose held dried up blood from her recent injury but she realized she was completely numb. All the mattered was her family.

"Make it stop," she said again, this time louder. Her courage was rebuilding itself inside of her and she leapt from the spot where she was standing. She couldn't take it. Suddenly a hatred so deep bubbled and churned inside of her and she stamped her foot on the ground and leapt at the figure. "Stop it!"

"Oh, but we wouldn't want to do that, not yet," the figure said venomously.

Sabrina took one look at the figure in front of her. The figure, oh so familiar. She remembered the first time she laid her eyes on the figure. So full of suspicion until it began to bud into admiration. But then the figures eyes flashed, a hatred-filled gaze penetrated Sabrina's one calm recollection of the figure before and she remembered that everything had changed.

But it was to late. The figure's fingers crackled with energy and a ball of blue energy shot at Sabrina and hit her squarely in the chest. She was thrown backwards and she hit the wall with a hard _thud_. Several books collapsed on her. She closed her eyes, pain rocketed from her head down to her toes.

"Goodbye, liebling."

"Granny Relda-" Sabrina began.

"You imbecile, your grandmother is gone! Forgotten!" Mirror spat.

"No," She said, her eyes blazing with determination. Her chest hurt and her back was burning as if it was broken. She couldn't move her fingers on her left hand but she felt a determination that she had never felt before in her life. It burned hot and licked around her mouth like flames. "Granny Relda, I know you're in there. Don't pretend like she isn't there. She is! She is in there and she's fighting you! Please, Granny Relda, wake up!"

"Starfish-"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Sabrina blazed, spitting in Granny Relda's face.

"Your grandmother isn't here! Go ahead and cry! Boo-hoo! It won't make any difference!"

"My name is Sabrina Grimm! And. I. Don't. Cry!" She screamed. With her good hand she grabbed Mirror. Before he could recover himself she had tackled him to the floor. She punched his face with her good hand. With his concentration broken, her family stood up, weaker than before. Uncle Jake raced over to Bunny and muttered something and Bunny was released from the chains.

Bunny ran up behind Sabrina and began to chant. A black blob seeped from Granny Relda. Bunny conjured a jar and stuffed the blackness into it, closing the lid tightly.

Sabrina rolled across on her side. Pain rocketed through her like nothing she had ever felt before. It ran across one side, from the inside of her brain down to the tip of her toes. She wanted to cry, but her lungs felt so sore it hurt just to breathe.

And she felt strangely empty inside. She heard the cheers as Baba Yaga killed nearly a hundred Scarlet Hand soldiers with a twitch of her magic wand. The Scarlet Hand started to retreat. Henry and Veronica went to the open crater in the room and proclaimed the victory. They had won. They had done it.

And then blackness.

* * *

Sabrina woke up on a cot. She was surrounded by _'Get-Well'_ cards, _'I-Love-You' _pillows, several bouquets of flowers, and a huge teddy bear. Sabrina sat up and found her arm in a cast, her leg in an even bigger cast, and her head wrapped in bandages.

The tent flap opened and closed and Veronica Grimm came to sit beside Sabrina.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed.

Sabrina nodded her head. "Who got all of this?" Sabrina asked, looking at all the merchandise.

"Your secret admirer," Veronica joked. When she noted Sabrina's confused expression she added on, "Puck. Puck did this, I believe. Though, how on earth he managed to get it here I can't say I know; the mailman was eaten by a dragon, after all."

"What - what happened?" Sabrina asked.

Veronica smiled a sweet, soft smile and began to stroke Sabrina's hair out of her eyes. She ignored the question and instead spoke softly, "I'm very proud of you, sweetie. You were so brave."

"Is everyone okay? How's Puck? Is Granny Relda all right?" Sabrina questioned, ignoring her mother's remark.

"Sweetie," her mother remarked in that same soft, sad tone. "You did everything you could. I know you did. You were so brave out there. You fought for all of us, for Granny Relda. But. . . Granny Relda didn't. . . survive. It was a huge shock. Bunny said that, because of her age, it would be hard to recover from something like. . . that. She would have been incredibly proud of you; I am incredibly proud of you."

Sabrina just sat there numbly. The pain was undefinable; it was the same pain when her parents disappeared and she was sent to the orphanage, or when they found out that Mirror was the Master. The pain Sabrina had felt what seemed like her entire life. She felt her eyes water up and her throat close. She sobbed. It was like someone had ripped out her heart and stepped on it. She felt hollow and empty. Veronica took Sabrina into a big, bear-like hug and cried with her. They both shook gently, heaving and huffing from their sobs. They stayed that way for what felt like hours, but what was probably around five minutes. The world seemed to stand still for them. The worldly sounds hushed and all they could hear were themselves.

Suddenly the tent flap opened and Puck stalked in, followed by Henry. They both looked unnaturally stiff, like they were made from cardboard.

"You're awake!" they both exclaimed.

"Yes, she is," Veronica remarked, drying her tears quickly, "And now we need to leave. She needs to rest."

Henry nodded and exited the tent. Veronica kissed Sabrina's forehead softly and followed Henry. Puck lingered.

"I like the cast, Grimm," Puck said.

"Thanks. . ." Sabrina replied.

A few moments of silence screeched by. Puck shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry about Granny Relda," Puck said.

At the mention of her name, Sabrina felt white hot tears burn the corners of her eyes, dribbling down her cheek. Puck raised his hand and swiped the tears from her face gently.

Sabrina looked up, "Thanks." But her eyes still continued to bleed tears. And, so, Puck reluctantly wrapped his arms around her in an awkward embrace. Sabrina tensed at his touch, expecting some sort of prank. But when nothing happened, she let her muscles relax. They stayed this way for sometime. Relishing each other's warmth and thinking about everything that had happened. It wasn't romantic; just a simple friendly gesture.

"Thanks, Puck," Sabrina whispered into his shoulder.

"What?" he asked.

"Thanks. For everything," she admitted.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll just add it to your tab," he joked. She laughed and he noticed how the corners of her mouth would spread until they were within an unimportant distance from her ears. Her eyes would reduce to bright, shining blue chinks and slight wrinkles would appear around them. Her teeth would sparkle like shining stars in a big black canvas. Her hair would glow like a golden halo, falling down past her shoulders in thick, untamed locks. She noticed when Puck smiled, on the other hand, the whole room lit up. His rotten teeth encased in shimmering whiteness caused only by the sugar coating his cavity-diseased molars, canines, and eyeteeth glowed like a thousand stars in the black canvas of the night sky. His green eyes would shine, glowing and lighting up his face. His cheeks reddened, reducing his light freckles to mere shadows across his features. His golden locks appeared more golden, as if his dirty straw-like hair was actually woven from gold.

Neither of them would admit it for a long, long time. And Puck's pranks wound continue for a while yet. And Sabrina's insults and distrust towards him wouldn't stop, at least for a while. But one day, in the future, they would admit their love for each other. One day; some day. . .

* * *

_A/N: OMG! This is the last chapter but if you couldn't tell by the 'dot-dot-dot' at the end, there, there is going to be an epilogue. First, I just want to formally apologize - I honestly thought I only had seventy-nine reviews and then Addie reviewed and told me I had eighty-two and I updated as soon as I possibly could. And then, when I finally began to write it I had a major case or writer's block. You see, every since I started this Fic I've imagined this chapter - every look, touch, taste - but when I finally sat down and wrote this Fic I just couldn't. It's kind of hard to explain, but it definitely took me the longest to write out of every chapter._

_Also, I know you guys are going to yell at me about Granny Relda dying and everything. That wasn't what my original plan was when I started this Fic; but, round about the fifth chapter I thought it was getting predictable. I just thought, for unpredictableness' sake, that should happen. Besides, it brought Puck and Sabrina closer. :D._

_Thirdly, I really want to get to a hundred reviews, it would make me super uber happy! I don't care if you flame me, or give me criticism, let's just get to a hundred reviews and I'll give you the best epilogue EVER! Where Puck and Sabrina actually get TOGETHER! Besides, I've already written it so you won't have to wait long as long as you get to one hundred!_

**EIGHTEEN REVIEWS = EPILOGUE**


	11. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

_Eight Years Later. . ._

"Take that!" Sabrina karate-chopped the huge tiger right between the eyes. A loud crunch could be heard from the spot in which the blow had been struck. A moment passed. His eyes rolled back in their sockets, his head twirled around for a few seconds, and he collapsed onto one of the huge crates filled with steaks. The alley was empty and dark and all that could be seen of Sabrina was her golden hair for she wore dark clothing. A slightly shorter woman with short, dark hair flashed by, chased by an equally-large lion. In her hand was a long stick - a wand - which she whipped around with expert skill. It wasn't two seconds before the lion was laid on the ground next to the tiger. The ladies sat heaving, breathing in the cold Winter air. At last, the third of their party appeared in the alley.

"That's the last of them," he huffed.

"I guess Ferryport Landing will be eating steak forever," Daphne said.

"At least as long as I'm here. . . which, if I'm correct, will be forever!" Puck exclaimed triumphantly.

Sabrina grinned and, on an impulse, lunged at Puck. He nearly fell over as she wrapped her arms around him and took him in a huge embrace. It was so unexpected that Puck stood there, wide-eyed and stock-still.

"Hug back," Daphne whispered pointedly in his direction.

And so he did, wrapping his arms around her awkwardly. Recoiling from the embrace, Sabrina backed away, blushing furiously.

Unanticipatedly, Puck began to rummage through his pockets, "Stinkpot, I've been thinking about this for a long, long time. But, well, a king's got to think of a good speech. And, unfortunately, chimpanzee's aren't best known for their speech-writing-qualities. I've tried to ask you through pranks. But, well, Henry kept setting off the traps," he visibly shuttered as if thinking of a horrible memory, "But now seems as good a time as any, right? So…" he opened up the tiny box from which he had dug from his pocket. It held a golden ring set with a small diamond. "Do you think. . . I mean, would you. . . could you. . . if it's possible. . . um. . . well, you see. . . I was hoping. . . that, possibly, maybe, you could marry me. . . Stinkpot?"

A few seconds of silence stretched into a minute, and then two. Sabrina just stood there, stock-still. Her breathing was normal, Puck noticed, and she seemed to be shivering, but that was because it was cold… he hoped, at least. He was just about to tell her that it was all a prank - his foolproof rejection line. He cleared his throat, and looked into her eyes. But he didn't, because his lips were met with hers. She kissed him passionately, releasing him only to promise him over and over again that she would marry him. Daphne skipped away from the couple happily, humming to herself.

Sabrina stepped back and whispered, "And we all lived happily, ever after. . ."

The End!


End file.
